Road to the Championship
by Matkin22
Summary: The prequel to Final Challenge. Ash is in for the toughest fight of his life against the Elite Four. Paul discovers just what it means to go against Team Rocket's most dangerous enemy. Minor Advanceshipping and ShortTemperShipping
1. Victory Road

**You know, when I finished _Final Challenge_ I really didn't have anything set in stone about what I would do next. I started to do a bit of my PikaShipping trilogy conclusion (which I haven't worked on since April), but couldn't remember what I'd been planning to do with the plot. Then I started a sequel to _Final Challenge_, but I just felt like it was too soon. And then this idea came to me.**

**Welcome all to the prequel to _Final Challenge_; in this story (which I plan to keep relatively short) it will be explained what happened in between Ash winning the Sinnoh League (according to the canon of the _Final Challenge_ universe), the Elite Four Challenge, his being awarded the Battle Colosseum, and finally the events leading up to his match against Cynthia. Other plot points from _Final Challenge_ may also get some attention here. We'll focus a bit more on May, and what she did after Drew's betrayal. We'll learn how and why Paul joined Team Rocket, and why Reggie cut off contact with both his father and brother. **

**In between the Sinnoh League and the match against Cynthia is a gap of almost three years according to my "detailed" canon (as seen on PokeFanon). So please, don't be surprised (or frustrated) if there seems to be massive gaps in between chapters. This story details what led to the events within Final Challenge, and so there will not be any real organized plots. It may not even really qualify as a standalone story, although I'll do my best to make it the entertaining read that you all deserve. **

**As I've said, this is a prequel to _Final Challenge_; for those new to this world, you may be better off reading that story before going on to this one. I warn you now, there will be allusions to events that occurred in that story, and so there could very well be spoilers for it too. I'm going to start things off here with a shorter chapter than you might expect (although it's on par with my earlier chapters of _Final Challenge_). Please keep in mind that I'm now in University; it's part of the reason why I rushed to finish _Final Challenge_ by the end of August, because I knew I wouldn't have any real time starting in September. I can't promise a regular updating schedule, although I will certainly endeavour to write as much as I can when I can.**

**And I just want to thank everyone who read and reviewed the conclusion to _Final Challenge_. Too many people have responded for me to write out everyone's names, but the response was overwhelming (and overwhelmingly positive at that!) I took a gamble and... it seems like it paid off. Thanks for everything, guys. I'll do my best to make this the best story you deserve, if not better!**

**Here's hoping I haven't jumped the shark with it.**

* * *

Ash watched the battlefield nervously, his stomach clenching at the magnificent display he saw below. Paul stood calmly in his trainer box, hands in his pocket as he gazed across the field towards his opponent whose brow was sweating profusely. To all intensive purposes Paul was at a disadvantage, his Electivire facing off against an angry Nidoking. And yet he was the one in utter control of the match.

"Nidoking, Earthquake!" his opponent yelled.

"Jump with your tail and hit it with a DynamicPunch," Paul retaliated emotionlessly. Electivire jumped high into the sky, its double-pronged tail propelling it powerfully upwards. The Earthquake passed harmlessly across the earth and then Electivire shot downwards, its eyes gleaming red as it swung a gleaming silver fist downwards.

"Block it!" the trainer shouted in panic.

"Rolling Kick!" Paul commanded. The Nidoking leaned upwards and caught Electivire's fist in its hands to halt the attack, but Electivire used the momentum and swung itself underneath the Nidoking's arms. A whoosh of breath left the ground-type's lungs as both of Electivire's legs slammed into its stomach, delivering a Rolling Kick that had double the usual power. The Nidoking staggered backwards, its eyes crossing before it collapsed.

"Nidoking is unable to battle!" the referee ruled. "Electivire and Paul are the winners!" Ash groaned and held his head in his hands; the semi-final match was over and it would have to be Paul whom he battled. He snuck a peak at the scoring screen which now triumphantly noted Paul's victory and felt a pang of nervousness as he noted that Paul still had one unused and therefore unknown Pokemon in his arsenal. Compounding that with the fact that not a single attack had hit Electivire, Ash felt decidedly nervous about his chances.

"Don't look so down!" Dawn scolded from beside him, noting the look on his face. "You were in total control of your semi-final match; Kaede didn't stand a chance against you."

"I've beaten her before," Ash responded, "I know how to battle against her. I've never beaten Paul; the most I've ever gotten from him is a tie. And how many times have we battled now?"

"Every match is different," Brock answered from his other side. "If you go into this match expecting to lose then you _will_ lose. You have to have more confidence in yourself. You didn't make it all the way to the Sinnoh League finals on pure luck. You've got more skill than Paul. Don't give him an advantage!"

"What do you mean?" Ash asked. "What advantage?"

"Think," Brock said patiently. "Every time you've ever battled Paul, what's happened? You start out strong but then he starts needling you, and you lose your control on the battle. You stop focusing on the tactics and get obsessed with just beating him straight-out, which of course doesn't happen. Don't let him take control of your emotions; keep a clear mind and you'll do fine."

"You're right," Ash said, nodding slowly before lapsing into silence as his gaze returned slowly to the battlefield. He could see Paul's opponent approaching, his arm outstretched.

"Good match, Paul," he said sincerely. "You really deserved this win."

"Too right I did," Paul snorted, ignoring the offered handshake. "You were just pathetic out there; that was my easiest win of the whole tournament. I expected more of a challenge in the semi-finals." His opponent looked after him, stunned by the harsh words as Paul turned without further comment and trudged off the battlefield.

"What a jerk," Dawn muttered, glaring after him. "You'd better beat him after that, Ash."

"Remember, Dawn; no unnecessary pressure," Brock cautioned as Ash stood up. "Where are you going, Ash?"

"I need to make a phone call," he answered without looking back, leaving them in the stands as he moved into the maze of tunnels that composed the spectator's section of the Stadium.

* * *

"Hey Ash! I saw your match on TV over here!" May beamed. "I wasn't expecting you to call; this is quite the surprise! Imagine beating Kaede twice! And now you're in the finals!"

"Hooray," Ash said without much enthusiasm. May's cheery enthusiasm demeanour instantly vanished.

"What's wrong?" she asked in concern.

"I have to go against my worst rival," Ash said. "Out of all my rivals he's the one I've battled most over the years; and I've never beaten him."

"Oh, is that all?" May scoffed. "Come on Ash, I thought there was something seriously wrong for a moment. Don't scare me like that." He looked at her, amazed.

"Nothing seriously wrong?" he repeated.

"We've all gone against people it seemed like we'd never meet," May said. "You never beat Gary until the Johto League, remember? And how many tries did it take Harley before he finally beat me?"

"Yes, that's true," Ash said before hastily changing the subject. "So tell me, how is Harley nowadays? Still up to all his nasty tricks?" May coughed slightly before answering.

"Err, well... truth be told, he's been really nice towards me lately," she said. "He helped me out with some trouble a few weeks ago..." Ash was surprised.

"Well that was good of him! I never expected Harley to do something nice for you," he said. "How's Drew doing?"

"He's fine," May said coldly, an emotion that Ash missed completely.

"That's good," he said absentmindedly. "I'm looking forward to seeing you in the Grand Festival. When is it? Sometime in the next month, right?" May gave another little cough.

"Well you see... the thing is, I didn't qualify," she said sheepishly. Ash looked at her, completely open-mouthed.

"What? But you had three ribbons so early on! How could you not have qualified?"

"Some stuff came up..." she muttered. "I'm actually catching a ferry back to Petalburg City in two days time. I'm not sure what I'll do after I get home..." She added some words under her breath that Ash couldn't hear, and when he enquired what they were she smiled sweetly and answered that she hoped she could get bumped up to a better cabin. Accepting this, Ash nodded.

"Well, I guess I'd better go," he said. "I need to pick my roster for tomorrow. Good luck with what you do next, May."

"Yeah... you too, Ash," she said a little sadly before terminating the connection.

He stared at the blank screen, a little perplexed. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen May in such a topsy-turvy mood. For a moment he contemplated calling her back, but reason set in. _She's probably just disappointed she didn't qualify_, he decided. _She just needs some space while she decides what to do next. I'll call her again in a few days; hopefully she'll be a little happier then._ He turned and found himself staring straight into Paul's eyes; they held a curiously satisfied gleam.

"Just as I expected," his rival snorted. "You already know you can't beat me. Why not just forfeit that match now? You don't have any more chance against me than that idiot I beat today did." Ash glared at him, a familiar fire beginning to race through his blood.

"You've only ever beaten me one-on-one or three-on-three," he retorted angrily. "Six-on-six is a lot more challenging; do you think you can beat me at my speciality?"

"I can beat you at any kind of battle," Paul answered cockily. "Tomorrow is the day I'll finally win a League."

"Oh really?" Ash asked softly. "Remind me, Paul; which one of us has actually won a League? Err, _Leagues_?" Paul's gaze darkened considerably, and Ash's hands clenched in the knowledge that when it came down to League matches he was the more successful, thanks to his victories in the Orange League and the Battle Frontier. And it seemed that Paul was unable to offer a retort for this, as he held his stance there for a few seconds before sweeping off without further comment.

"I think Paul just made a big mistake," Brock commented to Dawn from where they stood on the stairs, unobserved by either Paul or Ash. "He just gave Ash his confidence and will to win back."

"Do you think Ash has a chance?" Dawn asked.

"With that kind of charge?" Brock asked. "I think Ash will want to beat Paul more than ever now; not just for himself, but for all the trainers who Paul has beaten and belittled. One thing's for sure; only one of them actually deserves to be the League Champion, and the whole of Sinnoh knows it after Paul's post-match display today. And Ash can work wonders when he has the support of the crowd behind him."

* * *

**Thanks for reading everyone, and please let me know what you thought about this first chapter. Again, I can't promise a regular (or even reasonable) updating schedule, but I will write and update as often as I can.**


	2. VS Paul!

**Well this chapter is a bit longer than the last; hope you enjoy! And as ever, please review!**

* * *

"Are you ready, Ash?" Dawn asked quietly.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Ash said confidently. The two sat on the bench in Ash's trainer room; the match was minutes away and Dawn was supposed to have been in the stands by now lest Brock was unable to keep her seat reserved for much longer. But her concern over Ash's preparation for this, the most important battle of his life to date, was greater than her desire for a good seat.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Positive," Ash said. "Paul doesn't stand a chance. I didn't think I could beat him, but he surprised me yesterday when I was on the phone. He told me to just give up then, and that really made me mad. I want to beat him more than ever now, and he gave me that desire back. I want to beat him, and I _know_ I can beat him."

"Pika!" Pikachu added, and Ash laughed.

"With that kind of support, how can I not win?" he joked.

"That's the spirit," a rather portly man with a large smile on his face said as he stepped into the room. Ash and Dawn both jumped in surprise at the sudden appearance.

"Sorry; I didn't mean to scare you," he chuckled. Ash looked at the man in shock, instantly recognizing the voluminous floral shirt and trademark Bono glasses.

"Scott?" he asked incredulously. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here because of a promise you made to me a year and a half ago, Ash," he answered, sitting next to him on the bench; Dawn masked a squeak as she felt her end of the bench rise up slightly, sliding her into Ash.

"A promise?" Ash repeated, puzzled.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten!" Scott exclaimed. "You beat my Battle Frontier, and I offered you a position as Frontier Brain. You declined then because you wanted to travel Sinnoh, but I told you at the time that the offer still stood. We have plans for a new facility, the grandest one of them all; the Battle Colosseum. I want you to be its head."

"You want me to be the Frontier Brain?" Ash asked, trying to make sure they were both on the same wavelength.

"Bingo!" Scott beamed. "Spenser's on the verge of retirement now, and we need a replacement if the Battle Frontier is to continue. You're still the only one who's beaten it. Only one other person has come close, and he retired to become a Pokemon Breeder after winning six symbols."

"But... I don't know if I'm ready to stop travelling yet," Ash said. "There's still so much to see!" Scott chuckled.

"Relax," he said. "I don't think you have any idea how much time is going to be needed for the Battle Colosseum to be built. We're looking at two years, maybe three before construction is completed; Spenser's agreed to stay on until it's finished. You'll still have plenty of time to travel."

"Well..." Ash began, but Dawn broke in.

"I say go for it, Ash!" she said eagerly. "Think how much stronger you'll become by being a Frontier Brain!"

"You think so?" Ash asked.

"Of course!" Dawn answered. "No need to worry; you'll have plenty of competition."

"And you'll be able to have all of your Pokemon with you at all times," Scott added. "All of the other Frontier Brains have that privilege too, although only Noland has taken advantage of it. You'd still only be able to battle six-on-six at the most, but I'm sure you miss being with some of your Pokemon when you're travelling."

"That's true," Ash said slowly, "but how could I possibly have all my Pokemon with me at once?"

"Well, there's too ways to go about it," Scott answered. "If you have a full party and capture another Pokemon, it goes straight to your region's Pokemon Professor; in this case, Professor Oak. What we can do is alter the data in your Pokedex so that your Pokemon's "home" location is set for the Battle Colosseum instead of Professor Oak's laboratory.

"Another thing we can do is give your Pokedex an upgrade so that it becomes an "Ex-Dex." It's a new upgrade developed by Professor Oak that allows a trainer to carry more than six Pokemon with them. The League regulates its application very heavily, but as a Frontier Brain you would more than qualify for it. So what do you say, Ash?"

"It sounds good," he admitted, "but I'd still have to think about it. It's not something I can agree to straight away."

"No problem's there, Ash," Scott replied. "Take as much time as you need."

"Mr. Ketchum?" a young boy asked breathlessly, running down from the tunnel that led to the battlefield. "They're ready for you now, sir. Good luck with your battle." Ash smiled, unused to being addressed in such a formal manner.

"Thanks," he said, standing up from the bench with a little stretch. Dawn jumped to her feet, looking horrified.

"My seat!" she gasped. "There's no way Brock could have held it this long!"

"Why don't you both sit with me?" Scott asked. "I've got a special box reserved for this match; best seats in the Stadium."

"Thanks," Dawn said gratefully, running out of the room to find the breeder.

"Hey, wait!" Scott shouted after her. "I haven't given you the box number!" He sighed and looked at Ash. "I'm really not used to running after energetic kids like her," he said. Ash chuckled in response.

"Here," he said, "I'll give you the number for her Poketch. Do you have a pen and paper?"

"Always," Scott answered, passing them over.

"Mr. Ketchum?" the young boy squeaked nervously, glancing back up the tunnel towards the Stadium. "You'd better hurry up; you don't want to be disqualified for being late."

"On my way now," Ash answered, passing the pen and paper back over to Scott. "Lead me on up. Bye Scott."

"Bye Ash," the Battle Frontier owner called, leaving the room. "Good luck!"

"Thanks; I may need that," Ash answered as he followed the young boy up the tunnel.

"Are you nervous, Mr. Ketchum?" the boy asked.

"Always," Ash said. "Every match is different; you can't go in expecting to win it the same way as the last. And it's against my biggest rival too, who I've never beaten."

"Do you think you have a chance?" the boy asked. Ash stopped him by putting his hand on his shoulder, and the young boy turned quizzically.

"No matter how little hope you think there may be, there's always a chance," Ash said. "Never give up, because you only give up on yourself if you do." He started moving again, and now the roar of the crowd became apparent. The young boy trailing behind, he stepped out from the tunnel and into brilliant sunlight; a veritable explosion of noise washed over his ears as the audience spotted him and began cheering. The voice of the commentator introducing him was barely audible.

Ash waved cheerily to the crowd and walked over to his trainer's box, a green platform which he knew would rise into the air the moment he stepped onto it. He briefly wondered, as he always did before a League match, what would happen if he were to step off of the platform immediately after it began to rise into the air, but he shook the thought from his head; this match was too important to ponder simple and irrelevant things like that.

There was a sudden jerk from beneath his feet as the platform began to move, but he kept his balance easily. From the corner of his eye he caught sight of the red trainer's box on the opposite side of the field begin rising too, but he ignored what he knew would be Paul's scowling visage, choosing instead to continue waving to the crowd.

"Welcome to the final of the Sinnoh League!" the commentator's voice announced. The crowd, which had only just begun to settle down, roared out yet again, drowning the next few words so great was the volume. "-nd Paul of Veilstone City," the commentator continued. "Both trainers have shown their incredible skill in making it this far, but only one can be crowned League Champion!" The crowd roared enthusiastically again.

"This will be a full six-on-six Pokemon battle! The winner will be decided when one trainer has all six of his Pokemon defeated! There will be a brief time-out when one trainer has three of his Pokemon knocked to allow for a field change; and speaking of which, the field for the first portion of the battle is about to be decided!" The images of Ash, Paul, and the twelve empty slots around an empty black circle vanished on the scoreboard to be replaced by a square divided in four; a brown rock, a white block, a green leaf, and a dark blue raindrop. They became lit up in turn, each one signifying one of the four possible battlegrounds. Initially moving at a fast pace, the light quickly slowed until it was barely flickering at all, moving from grass to water to rock to...

"And it's an ice-field!" the commentator announced. The initial scoreboard faded back in, although this time the empty circle in the centre had been replaced with the symbol for the ice-field. The battlefield began trembling and then was separated into two chunks down the centre, moving slowly. As the field was pulled slowly underneath each trainer box, a gleaming white surface came into view, slowly being lifted to the surface via a series of incredibly powerful pistons. There was a dull thunk as it reached the surface and was secured along the edges with heavy-duty mechanical grips.

"And now we'll see who gets to select their Pokemon first!" the commentator shouted as everyone's eyes became riveted to the screen. A roulette wheel featuring the likenesses of both trainers appeared and began spinning. The Stadium was silent as every person in there watched the spinning intently. It settled on Ash's visage, to the groans of many people.

"Ash of Pallet Town must select first," the referee announced from his position at the side of the field. He raised both a red and a green flag into the air before promptly dropping them and shouting "begin!"

"Glalie, I choose you!" Ash shouted, unleashing the powerful ice-type who seemed extremely pleased to be battling alongside Ash again as it floated there in mid-air.

"Big mistake," Paul taunted from across the field. "Glalie may have the advantage on an Ice Field, but I have something that will melt your hopes of victory away! Magmortar, let's go!"

"Maaaag!" the fire-type roared as it landed with a heavy thud on the ice, spewing a wave of hot flames into the air as it did so.

"Perfect," Ash murmured, his eyes fixed on Paul's Pokemon. "Just what I'd hoped for."

* * *

"This looks bad already," Dawn said nervously in Scott's box. "Paul's already got the advantage in this battle; Glalie's tough, but I don't think it's strong enough to take out that Magmortar."

"We'll see," Brock said, paying almost as close attention to Ash as Ash was to Magmortar. "Ash doesn't seem too worried about it."

"And if Ash isn't worried, it's a fair bet that he's got a good strategy in mind," Scott added. "This will be a very interesting match, to say the least."

* * *

"Block!" Ash yelled, calling out the first move of the battle. Paul pointedly rolled his eyes as a red light shot from Glalie's eyes and enveloped Magmortar, marking the fire-type's chest with a small 'x'.

"Are you really that desperate to lose?" he asked. "Magmortar, lets end this before he embarrasses himself any further! Lava Plume!"

"Counter it with Ice Beam!" Ash shouted to Glalie. Magmortar raised both of its arms and pointed them at Glalie; a blast of intense flames shot out of each arm, heading directly towards the ice-type. But Glalie was slightly quicker; before Magmortar's arms were half-raised, it had already sent a sheet of ice flying towards the fire-type. The two attacks collided; the fiery heat of the Lava Plume completely demolished the Ice Beam, but what flames were leftover from the collision trickled harmlessly onto the ice.

"So, you've got speed," Paul commented, "better than I expected. Time to show you a little speed of our own though! Magmortar, Flare Blitz!"

"Headbutt!" Ash ordered. Magmortar charged forwards at a fiery rate, completely surrounded by a roaring inferno, its body visible as a mere outline within the flames. Glalie charged recklessly into the attack, black horns pointed directly at the opponent. The two attacks collided and this time Glalie came off much worse. The two hit head-on-head; for a brief instant it appeared that the attacks were evenly matched, but then the flames enveloped Glalie's body and it was sent reeling backwards from the impact, roaring in pain as it crashed into the ice.

"Glalie, you can shrug that off!" Ash shouted.

"Glayy... glay..." the ice-type panted as it struggled to regain the air. Ash bit his lip in concern, but the worry quickly turned to relief as he saw several drops of moisture falling from Glalie's body onto the battlefield.

"Perfect," he grinned.

"Your Pokemon's melting, and you think that's a good thing?" Paul taunted. "Magmortar, melt the rest of it away! Fire Punch!"

"Wait for it... wait for it..." Ash murmured as Magmortar charged ever closer, its fist surrounded by flames.

"Ash, what are you doing?" he heard Dawn scream, her cry somehow penetrating the noise of the crowd. "Glalie's going to be creamed!"

"Now!" Ash shouted the moment he judged Magmortar was close enough. "Headbutt into the ground!"

"Glayyyy!" Glalie roared, charging headfirst into the ice. There was a resounding crack and the crowd gasped as one. The ice beneath the two Pokemon shattered and Magmortar, unable to move to any form of safety, vanished into the pool of freezing meltwater.

"Magmortar, return!" Paul yelled, pointing a Poke Ball towards the water. A red beam shot under the waves, but the light disintegrated almost immediately. Cursing inwardly, Paul then remembered the Block attack; and with a rising rage, he realized that Ash had planned for this to happen from the moment that Magmortar set foot on the ice.

"Finish it, Glalie," Ash said steely. "Sheer Cold!" Glalie touched its two horns to the surface of the water and closed its eyes in concentration. A burst of ultraviolet light shot under the waves. The air temperature dropped to frigid levels almost immediately, and the water solidified instantly. A slight mist settled on the battlefield from the powerful attack, and as it slowly cleared the crowd gasped.

Glalie hovered alone on the battlefield, and Magmortar was nowhere in sight. A tiny shape was visible under the surface, but it was unmoving, frozen solid.

Defeated.

"Magmortar is unable to battle!" the referee judged, raising a flag.

"Incredible strategy!" the announcer shouted out to a stunned and near-silent crowd. "Glalie used Magmortar's own attacks to weaken the ice, which it then shattered with a powerful Headbutt to send Magmortar into the one place it hates most; the water! It then froze the water solid to make sure it didn't drown, thereby ensuring a victory for Ash! I've never seen anything like this folks!"

"Magmortar, return," Paul gritted. This time the beam of red light did not vanish, and the fire-type was called back into its Poke Ball. "I'll get you for that," he hissed under his breath, raising his eyes to meet Ash's confident smile. "See how you like this! Mismagius; go!"

* * *

**And the battle's begun! Hope you liked that first match; Glalie was a bit of a surprise, huh?**


	3. A Life or a Loss

**Sorry (as usual) for the lengthy delay everyone. University hit hard and fast, and it took me longer than I expected to find time to write this. It was done in little pieces over the last three weeks or so, so hopefully it fleshes out okay. Get ready for a long (and still unfinished) battle, with some major surprises thrown in there too. I can't promise when the next update will be, but it will hopefully come relatively soon.**

**Enjoy**

* * *

"So... he's chosen a Mismagius," Ash said to himself, feeling a little unsettled at the sudden twist. "I didn't even know that he had one... I wonder what other Pokemon he has on him. I built my team based on what I've seen him with the most, but if he has any more surprises like Mismagius..." A grin stole across his face; he had the perfect counter set-up already. All it would take was timing.

"Mismagius, he got the upper-hand last time with that Block; I won't let that happen again!" Paul said. "Use Shadow Ball!"

"Hold it back with Ice Beam, Glalie!" Ash countered. A thick dark orb formed in Mismagius's mouth and shot towards Glalie; Glalie's powerful Ice Beam charged towards it in turn, and the two attacks collided and exploded with a force that neither trainer had witnessed before; both Pokemon were sent reeling backwards in agony as the shockwaves passed through their bodies, and even Ash and Paul felt some discomfort as it hit them too.

"Stop it now while it's weak, Mismagius!" Paul roared. "Break through that smoke and use Mean Look!"

"Yes!" Ash exultated, holding a Poke Ball out in each hand. "Glalie, return! Gallade, I choose you!" In the quickest change he had ever done, Ash simultaneously recalled his ice-type and sent out the powerful psychic-fighter. The red light from Glalie's Poke Ball enveloped and retrieved it at the exact instant that Mismagius broke through the explosion's smoke. Unable to halt the attack, Mismagius launched the Mean Look, and Gallade's emerging body briefly glowed purple. Seeming more irritated than concerned at the attack, Gallade scratched its chest briefly with the tip of one blade before focusing any attention on his opponent.

"Bad move, Ash!" Paul shouted across the field. "Glalie may have been hurt, but Gallade is weak to ghost-types; you've just handed me another advantage!"

"There's no weakness if the moves don't hit," Ash countered. "Gallade, use Slash!"

"Errrrr-LADE!" the psychic-type roared, charging towards Mismagius; the crowd gasped as both of Gallade's blades hyper-extended to reach twice their normal length, the green blade-edges shining with the sharpness.

"Your Gallade's too slow on that ice; it doesn't have any grip," Paul observed. "Use Aerial Ace!" he ordered, and Mismagius shot straight towards Gallade, the air seeming to hiss with the speed. Ash grinned.

"Block it and use Night Slash!" he ordered. Gallade's eye's gleamed and it swept one of the blades straight down; the Slash attack collided with the Aerial Ace, and while it had no direct effect on Mismagius it was more than enough to halt the flying-type move. Paul gaped, surprised again as Gallade then swung down its other arm, this one gleaming with darkest black. Impossibly, Gallade's blade seemed to curve in midair as it descended before slashing straight into the ghost-type's head. Mismagius let out a cry of pain and fell to the ice.

"Get up!" Paul shouted. "Take it down a peg with Pain Split!"

"Mahge..." the ghost-type hissed, raising its glowing blue eyes as it sought to meet Gallade's face.

"Teleport!" Ash retaliated.

"Er!" Gallade nodded, crossing its now normal-sized arms and stepping backwards in one swift motion. As Mismagius looked towards it, Gallade closed its eyes and vanished.

"I told you, Paul!" Ash shouted as Gallade reappeared, vanished, reappeared, and vanished again, making Mismagius exceedingly dizzy as it tried to keep up with the rapid-fire Teleports. "Your advantage means nothing if the attacks don't hit! Gallade, finish it with a dual Leaf Blade and Night Slash!"

"Mismagius, get out of there!" Paul shouted. The ghost type-tried to move out the way, but to no avail. Gallade teleported to Mismagius's side and swept a glowing green arm downwards before teleporting and reappearing on the Pokemon's other side while delivering a devastating Night Slash to the injured Pokemon. Gallade's speed in teleporting and launching the attacks was so great that it seemed to all who viewed it that the two attacks hit at exactly the same time from opposite directions. The ghost-type had no chance.

"Mismagius is unable to battle!" the referee ruled, raising one of his flags.

"Incredible again!" the commentator screamed, near delirious with excitement. "Gallade used Teleport to launch two attacks almost simultaneously! Folks, we are looking at a rout in this match! I don't think anything can stand against Ketchum today!"

"There's one who can and will," Paul growled, recalling Mismagius without commenting towards the defeated Pokemon. "Time to turn one of his earlier attacks against him; Torterra, I choose you!" As one the crowd stood in disbelief as the massive Continent Pokemon emerged onto the ice, roaring into the sky.

"I don't get it," Dawn whispered to Brock. "Why would he choose Torterra now?"

"I don't know," Brock answered in a low voice. "It just doesn't make any sense! I can see Paul wanting to make a comeback in a big way with Torterra and taking away all of Ash's momentum, but that thing weighs almost 700 pounds! How is it possible for Torterra to battle without breaking the ice?"

"Because Ash made it that way," Scott answered; as per his custom, he sat calmly in his seat while Brock and Dawn were both pressed up against the railing.

"He made it that way?" Dawn repeated, confused. "I don't get it."

"Think back to the first match, between Glalie and Magmortar," Scott answered. "Ash finished that battle off by directing Glalie's Sheer Cold attack into the ice. Now, Sheer Cold is one of the most powerful attacks there is; it's so powerful that it will knock out any Pokemon it hits, with the possible exception of a legendary Pokemon of course. Unfortunately it's also not very accurate, which is why it's so rarely used. But Ash was guaranteed perfect accuracy in freezing the water; all of the water. The field they're battling on now is nothing more than a 20-foot thick ice cube; and something that big takes an awfully long time to melt."

"Of course," Brock realized. "Paul's using Ash's own Sheer Cold against him by bringing out his strongest – and heaviest – Pokemon to battle, because he knows that the ice won't crack.

"Right," Scott nodded, "and if Paul knows that, you can bet Ash does too."

"Gallade, return!" they heard Ash call, and Brock and Dawn turned back to the battle in time to see the psychic-type recalled to his Poke Ball. "Glalie, come on out!" he added, sending the ice-type out for the second time.

"Glalie again?" Dawn wondered.

"It makes sense," Brock said. "Glalie's an Ice-type, and Torterra has both grass and ground characteristics; it's quadrupally weak to that type."

"But Glalie's already been through one tough battle," Scott added. "If this Torterra really is Paul's strongest Pokemon, Ash is in for a very rough time."

"Ice Beam!" Ash shouted, and Glalie shot the familiar jagged beam towards Torterra.

"Razor Leaf," Paul said, sounding almost bored. A barrage of leaves shot from the tree on Torterra's back and met the Ice Beam in mid-air; but rather than both attacks cancelling each other out, the Razor Leaf broke right through Glalie's attack. The ice-type roared in pain as the Razor Leaf smashed into its body, and it dropped out of the air with a thud.

"Glalie!" Ash shouted in shock.

"Glalie is unable to battle!" the referee shouted, raising the other flag for the first time that match.

"You did a great job, Glalie," Ash said tenderly as he recalled the beaten ice-type. "Thanks for all that hard work against Magmortar." He eyed the gigantic Torterra carefully. "This won't be easy, but I know you're best for this job," he muttered, reaching towards his belt. "Staraptor, I choose you!"

"Starr raptor!" the flying-type shrieked as it burst from the Poke Ball; the strong and sharp crest overhanging Staraptor's eyes shone in the sunlight, and Paul's Torterra unwittingly took a step backwards at the dangerous appearance.

"Staraptor makes sense," Brock said.

"It's got the advantage over Torterra because of its flying-type, right?" Dawn asked.

"Partly," Brock answered. "Flying-type moves are super-effective against grass-types, and Torterra can't take any advantage of its ground-type because those moves will do nothing against Staraptor. But Staraptor also has a huge advantage in its speed and manoeuvrability. I think Ash made the right choice here."

"But Torterra won't go down without a fight," Scott added. "Look at the size of it; a Pokemon that big doesn't go down easily in a fight. It has defence that Ash's team can only dream of, and Paul knows it. He's more likely to take a defensive role in this battle, forcing Ash to go on the attack. And that will wear Staraptor down quickly. If Ash wants to take Torterra down, he's got to do it in the first few moves of this battle."

"Staraptor, gain some altitude and spiral down into an Aerial Ace!" Ash shouted.

"Torterra, stand your ground!" Paul commanded. "When Staraptor gets in close, hit it with a Leech Seed!" Staraptor flapped it's wings hard, gaining several feet in height before dropping in a steep dive towards Torterra, the wind visible as it streamed passed the flying-type's body. Torterra stood motionless, waiting, waiting, waiting...

"Now!" Paul shouted, and a single seed erupted from the tree on Torterra's back, heading directly towards Staraptor. But the flying-type was quicker than both Paul and Torterra anticipated. It twisted, the Leech Seed soaring past harmlessly, before ramming at full speed into Torterra's massive girth. Torterra groaned slightly at the impact as Brock and Dawn exultated in the stands, but Ash immediately saw that something was very wrong. Staraptor appeared to have taken more damage from the attack than Torterra had, and it lay in a ruffled heap on the ground, a dazed expression on its face.

"No way," Ash gasped. "That's impossible!"

* * *

Brock noticed Staraptor on the ground and the cheer died from his mouth. "That's not good," he said, his voice rising as he realized what it meant. "That's not good at all."

"What's not good?" Dawn asked, confused.

"Staraptor took most of the damage from the attack, but Torterra barely moved to avoid it!" Brock shouted, his voice beginning to reach a frenzy pitch. "The move should have been super-effective, but it didn't do a thing! There's no way that Paul's Torterra can have such high defences!"

"What do your eyes tell you?" Scott asked. "Paul's raised that Pokemon so that it would play to its own natural strengths in battle. Physical attacks won't touch it; it'll just shrug them off like nothing happened."

"But it lost to Cynthia's Garchomp in one move, and that was physical hit!" Dawn said, panicking. "How can it stand a super-effective hit like that?"

"The real question is, what does that tell you about Ash's preparedness for the Elite Four challenge?" Scott asked rhetorically.

* * *

"Staraptor, you can shake it off!" Ash pleaded. "Get up!" Paul grinned.

"Looks like it's over already," he said. "Torterra, finish it off now with your strongest attack! Wood Hammer!" Torterra reared back its head, roared, and began charging towards the stunned Staraptor. The distance between the two was small, but Torterra's initial speed on the ice was so slow that it may as well have been the length of three full battlefields. Nonetheless, Ash knew that if Torterra were to get up to full speed and the attack were to hit...

"Staraptor, _move_!" he screamed. Staraptor's eyes snapped wide in clarity at its trainer's call, and it twisted to look back at Ash.

"_I said move_!" Ash roared. Staraptor looked confused for a moment then, feeling the vibrations beneath its tail feathers, turned and dropped its beak open in shock. Torterra was almost upon it, and the sight of the massive Pokemon almost froze Staraptor in place. Almost. With a screech it flapped its mighty wings once, twice, thrice. Torterra skidded across the spot where Staraptor had been, but the flying-type was safe in the air.

"Great work, Staraptor!" Ash called happily.

"Bullet Seed!" Paul shouted. The sudden attack caught both Ash and Staraptor by surprise. A hail of luminescent green seeds poured from Torterra's mouth and shot skywards, smashing into Staraptor with devastating force. Staraptor screeched in the air as the attack hit its mark; it tried its utmost to knock the Bullet Seed away with its wings, but the power of Torterra's attack was too much. The flying-type crumpled and spiralled downwards. Paul grinned in satisfaction.

"It's over," he declared.

"Not yet!" Ash retorted. "Go, Quick Attack into Aerial Ace!" The tumbling Staraptor twisted out of the free-fall and, in an incredible burst of speed, charged head-on for Torterra. The very air was visible as it streamed over the wings before a mini-cyclone formed around the Pokemon's body as the speed of the Quick Attack propelled it into an Aerial Ace.

"Finish this like you did Glalie!" Paul ordered. "Razor Leaf now!" A cloud of leaves burst out of the tree on Torterra's back, the honed edges causing the air to hiss as they flew.

"Spin!" Ash shouted and, in what had become his team's standard dodging method, Staraptor rotated its body at high speed into a spin, causing the leaves to deflect harmlessly around the Pokemon. But the move also had a second unintended side effect.

The Aerial Ace, already resembling a mini-cyclone, had its power greatly amplified by the spin. Staraptor's mass was firmly established as the centre of gravity as it – and the air around it – rotated at high speed. The result was even more speed and power behind the attack, and the cyclonic shape of the attack became a full-fledged miniature tornado. People grabbed desperately at their hats, purses, food, drink, and betting slips as the force of the rapidly moving storm drew both air and power from the grandstands.

"Amazing!" Brock shouted above the volume of the wind. "He's turned a physical attack into a special attack! Staraptor's beak won't hit Torterra, the tornado will!"

"What a move!" Dawn breathed.

"Crunch!" Paul shouted desperately from the field as a last resort, hoping to negate some of the damage. Torterra's jaws lunged upwards towards the cyclone and snapped shut with vicious force on nothing. The crowd gasped collectively as, inches from impact, the cyclone and Staraptor vanished from view.

With a tremendous roar and a blast of wind that stung every person's eyes, there was an explosion from on the field. Torterra roared in pain as, impossibly, it was flung into several feet backwards into the air, landing heavily on its back before rolling once more to come to rest on its stomach. Staraptor stood in the midst of the ice, seemingly unable to move as the crowd waited collectively, awestruck at what they had witnessed.

"You forgot the true power of an Aerial Ace, Paul," Ash said expressionlessly. "When a Pokemon uses Aerial Ace, its speed reached a point where it vanishes before impact. It then reappears moments later and hits the opponent in a different place than the one it was aiming for. And of course, in this case the tornado was a part of the attack, so it vanished too." Paul merely chuckled in response as Torterra clambered slowly to its feet.

"It may have done more damage than a real Aerial Ace," he responded, "but Torterra is more than strong enough to withstand any attack like that. But if your Pokemon can't even deal with the strength of their own attacks..." Ash frowned, puzzled by the remark.

"Your Torterra can't stand strong forever," he retorted. "Staraptor, into the air and use Wing Attack!" The crowd watched breathlessly, and then mutters began to spring forth as Staraptor remained entirely motionless. "Staraptor?" Ash called. "Staraptor!"

A slight breeze came across into the stadium, ruffling Staraptor's feathers. The flying-type did not even try to remain standing as the air current buffeted it slightly to one side. The Pokemon keeled over, a comically surprised expression frozen on its face from when it had impacted.

"Staraptor is unable to battle!" the referee shouted. "This match is tied at 2 down apiece!"

"Staraptor!" Ash shouted, foregoing the usual Poke Ball recall to run down onto the pitch instead. A murmur sprang from the crowd at the sight of him sliding across the ice.

* * *

"Is Staraptor going to be okay?" Dawn asked nervously.

"It'll be fine," Brock reassured her. "It's incredibly rare, but Pokemon do sometimes faint on their feet. Ash's Torkoal did once before in a Frontier match."

"I remember that," Scott nodded. "A Pokemon is usually hit in motion, so its centre of gravity is almost never balanced out. But on some occasions that is the case, so the Pokemon is knocked out but doesn't collapse. That's what confuses the trainer, because they can't see their Pokemon's eyes and they assume that if it's standing, it's okay to go on."

"See," Brock added, pointing Dawn back to the field. "Staraptor's woken up now, and Ash has called it back. It's nothing a trip to the Pokemon Centre won't fix later."

"But for now, the match is still going on," Scott said. "That ingenious Aerial Ace may have done a lot more damage to Torterra than the first attempt, but nowhere near enough to take it out. The key to this match is Torterra. Ash was up 2-0, and he could go down 3-2 if he isn't careful in this next selection. He has to beat Torterra now; if he doesn't, this match is as good as over."

* * *

Ash stood in the centre of the battlefield a moment before returning to his trainer's box. His gaze swept the crowd and locked onto where he knew Scott's private box was located. Though the sun was in his eyes and he could not see his friends, he gave a nod to reassure them before trudging back.

"Who's your next choice, Ash?" Paul taunted. "Is it a Pokemon that can doesn't actually hurt itself when it battles?"

"It's one who isn't afraid to take pain so long as it dishes out even more!" Ash charged back. "Gallade, let's go!"

"Err!" Gallade called, landing on the ice for the second time that day. The fierce warrior sprung into a swift salute as it straightened up; it would have seemed a wholly ridiculous gesture were it not for the symbolism it exuded. For a Gallade to salute as it took to the battlefield... it meant that it had only undying loyalty for its trainer. The crowd knew that this Gallade would not hesitate to die for its trainer if the need arose. What had been a relatively jovial atmosphere died away completely.

Gallade had been out before, but it had not shown this kind of gesture then. This was more than just a show of trust and loyalty: it was a sign of solidarity and determination. It was the greatest gesture of support Ash could have from his Pokemon, and it came at a time he needed it most.

"Torterra, shut it down now! Earthquake!" Paul shouted.

"Jump to dodge!" Ash retaliated. Paul grinned as Gallade leapt high, causing Torterra's attack to miss.

"Bullet Seed!" he shouted, smug in the knowledge that Gallade could not dodge while it was in the air.

"Slash them back!" Ash ordered, sweeping his arm out unintentionally.

"Laaade!" Gallade roared as Torterra's attack shot towards it. The warrior extended both of its blades and slashed furiously against the attack. The speed of the strikes was so swift that the blades could not even be seen; one cut the seeds in half and the other sent them straight back to Torterra before repeating the motions. Torterra took an involuntary step backwards as its own attack rebounded on its head. Gallade, meanwhile, sliced at the last remnant of the attack, did a lazy back flip in the air, and landed perfectly on its feet in exactly the same location it had taken off, blades crossed across its chest.

"Now use Leaf Blade!" Ash yelled, and Gallade charged forwards. Paul wasn't expecting such a quick landing and attack, and before he could order a countermove the Leaf Blade had slammed across Torterra's head, driving the grass-type heavily into the ice. The second blade slashed horizontally into the side of Torterra's head, and the massive Pokemon moaned at the result of two head-shots in a row. Gallade skittered backwards, once again resuming his previous position and location on the ice.

Paul gritted his teeth angrily. "If that's the way you want to play..." he growled. "Torterra! Seed Bomb into Sand Tomb!" Fear replaced the exultation in Ash's face.

"Dodge that!" he shouted as large green clusters began showering out of the tree on Torterra's back, impacting all around the Psychic-type. Gallade ran, but the attack was so densely spread that there was no place to run _to_. One grazed its side, another exploded at its feet, and a third smashed into its chest, sending Gallade flying backwards with a scream of pain as it exploded at that close range. Ash opened his mouth to shout a warning about the quickly oncoming wall, but, against all the laws of nature, a massive pile of sand erupted from the ice and enveloped the psychic-type. Gallade struggled against it, to be sure, but it was held too tightly to move.

"Finish it," Paul said expressionlessly. "Use Earthquake."

"Torrrr!" Torterra roared, jumping a few inches off the ground and landing with a massive impact. A great _crack _rent the air as the ice split under the weight of Torterra's body smashing into it. Gouges ripped across the field, faster than the Earthquake could move. The Sand Tomb holding Gallade in place collapsed as Torterra lost control over the attack, and the loyal fighter hit the ground and rolled to the side just in time to avoid falling into a fissure that opened seconds later.

Both Pokemon held their ground nervously as the ice field continued to disintegrate into chunks; deep and dangerous fissures ran across the battlefield, and several chunks of ice collapsed completely before falling into the depths. Almost imperceptible to Gallade's keen ears – and certainly not heard by Torterra or any of the humans – were shrieks of fright from the engineers far below who controlled the battlefield rotation as they dodged the shards that fell around them.

"Folks, it would appear that the battlefield has sustained some serious damage," the commentator announced. "Torterra's weight was too much for that ice in the end."

* * *

Dawn was speechless at the sight of the battlefield. Huge holes were missing in the ice, and deep chasms separated the remaining chunks. A smack on the back of her head quickly returned her to awareness, however.

"Hey!" she shouted, rounding on the person behind her. "What was that for?" A distraught Mr. Goodshow halted his headlong run, wringing his hands and a panicked expression on his face.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to!" he said, dancing slightly on the spot. "But that ice is unstable! I've got to get down to the commentary box immediately and stop the match! If there's any more battling on that ice, it could be dangerous for the Pokemon who are doing it! Not to mention all the engineers controlling it from below! I have to get down there now and stop the match!" Without another word he dashed off, still wringing his hands.

* * *

Torterra stood nervously on the largest chunk of ice. It was unable to move, not even to shift its head from side to side. A spider web of cracks was showing beneath its feet, a danger Paul could not see. It was afraid to do anything but stay in place, and even that was nerve-wracking beyond belief. The smaller and lighter Gallade was not quite as worried. Unlike Torterra it could run and jump, meaning that it could move to another chunk if it had to. Its speed would be its saving grace, and the possibility of falling into a chasm was almost laughable to it.

"Torterra, Razor Leaf!" Paul shouted. A frown grew across his face when Torterra did not move. "I said use Razor Leaf! Do it now!" he roared. Torterra dared to shake its head and let out a little whimper, a surprising sound to hear from such a large and formidable Pokemon.

"Gallade, use Night Slash!" Ash said, hesitating only a moment before issuing the command. Gallade took off at a run and leapt across a chasm towards Torterra. It raised its extended blades, ready to swing them down...

And pivoted away to a different chunk of ice instead, reaching one blade far to the side where it dug into the chunk before using its momentum to swing around in the air and land lightly on its feet.

"Err," Gallade said, looking at Ash imploringly as it shook its head and crossed its blades over its chest. The crowd gasped and a puzzled Ash followed Gallade's gaze towards Torterra. It struck him like a bolt of lightning, and he knew instantly why Gallade had not attacked.

He had not seen it before because Gallade was in the way, but a metre under Torterra's feet was a Magmortar-shaped cavity in the ice. A thin but jagged crack was visible, spreading up from the cavity towards the ice directly under Torterra's feet, and when he squinted he was able to make out the faintest sign of the spider webbing. He sighed regretfully and shook his head. It was against both his and Gallade's nature, but he knew what he had to do; there was no alternative.

He threw one hand into the air, a hand that clenched a white towel which he dropped over the side of the trainer's box and onto the ice. "I retire Gallade from the match!" he shouted with as much strength and conviction as he could muster. A roar of anger and dismay sprang from the crowd as he recalled the seemingly able-bodied and healthy Gallade before turning away from the battlefield, leaving the trainer's box, and walking slowly into the tunnel that led towards his training room. Angry jeers followed him as he left the battle, drowning out even the commentator as he announced that as Ash had lost three Pokemon, there would be a 15-minute break while the battlefield was changed. He didn't even look back to see a thoroughly confused Paul recall a very relieved Torterra.

He slumped against the wall, unwilling to enter the room where he knew Brock and Dawn would be waiting for him. Instead he silently called Gallade back out and simply looked the Pokemon in the eyes. It struck Ash then, as he looked at his Pokemon, how even though Gallade was a little shorter, how much more powerful he was.

"What makes you do it?" Ash asked aloud, gently feeling the sharpness of Gallade's blade. "The strength you have... the speed... Pokemon could rule the planet and destroy the human race if they wanted to. Why do you submit yourselves to those cramped little Poke Balls and get beaten up when we order you to battle. We force you to fight, and we don't feel any of your pain. Why do you do it?" Gallade merely looked sorrowfully at him.

"Excuse me," a vibrant woman said simpering, surprising the life out of Ash at her sudden appearance alongside her familiar crew of three. "Jessalina here. I know that trainers aren't usually interviewed until after the match, but we're all so surprised at the stunt you just pulled in retiring Gallade when it's still got plenty of fight left. We're all wondering if you could possibly explain why you made such a move? Keep in mind that this interview is being broadcast live into the Stadium and on international television."

"There really isn't much to tell," Ash said resignedly. Even from down here he could hear the boos. "That Earthquake was just a really dangerous move to try and pull off, especially with Torterra's weight. I was as surprised as anyone else when Gallade stopped the attack. I knew that Gallade wouldn't just disobey me without a reason, so I tried to see what may have been wrong."

"And what was that?" Jessalina pressed.

"Remember how Magmortar was frozen in the ice?" Ash asked.

"Yes..."

"Well, when Magmortar was recalled there wasn't anything to take its place," Ash explained. "There was just an empty cavity in the ice, and Torterra was standing above that. When it used the Earthquake, the ice cracked because there was nothing to hold it up. So the ice just shattered away. Most of it happened in the direction _away_ from Torterra, but it's a heavy Pokemon. The ice didn't shatter underneath it, but it was really badly cracked; if Gallade had landed on it or driven Torterra into it, it would have broken for sure and Torterra would have fallen into the crevasse. I'm guessing that's the reason why Torterra didn't obey Paul's attack either; it didn't want to make the ice even more unstable," he added.

"So that's why Gallade didn't attack, but why did you retire it instead of sending out a different Pokemon?" she asked.

"It wouldn't have made a difference," Ash said. "If I'd sent out a different Pokemon, Torterra would have still been in danger. I retired Gallade because there was no other choice. I did it because I knew it would be my third retirement, and there'd be a break while the field was changed or repaired. It was the only thing I could do."

"But why..?" Jessalina began before Ash interrupted.

"Look," he said, "Torterra's life was in danger. I did the only thing I could to save it. And I don't know about you, but when it comes down to losing a match or killing a Pokemon, I'll take the loss every time. Simple as that."

"Why do you think Paul didn't recall Torterra instead?" Jessalina asked, and though Ash's every fibre wanted to scream _'because that's the kind of guy he is'_, he answered instead by saying:

"I don't know. I guess he couldn't see the cracks in the ice because of Torterra's size."

"Well there you have it folks," Jessalina said brightly as she turned back to the camera, "an explanation from Ash Ketchum for his seemingly bizarre retirement of Glalie. Now, we still have ten minutes left in this intermission so why don't we take a look at the replays to see if his explanation holds true. Dan, back to you."

"And cut!" Jameson said brightly as Ash turned and walked deeper into the tunnel towards his room. "Brilliant as ever, Jessi – I mean Jessalina!"

"Oh, thanks!" she said with a laugh. "It's all down to my cha..." Ash tuned them out as he moved further away, Pikachu and Gallade in his wake. Although he was no longer looking at the psychic-type, if he had he would have seen something curious. Gallade's eyes shone brightly, and there was an unspoken answer in there to Ash's earlier question.

_Why, Master? Because of moments like that_, Gallade's eyes seemed to say.


	4. The Sweetest Revenge

**Well, this likely going to be my final update for a little while; party because of Thanksgiving, but mainly because I'm not sure where I want to go after this battle ; I have some vague ideas, but nothing concrete. Most of the ideas I've come up with recently are for the sequel to _Final Challenge_ (so not this story!) Then again, I'm starting to think that maybe I really HAVE jumped the shark with this one. 14 reviews over 3 chapters (most on the first chapter), and barely 400 views. Meanwhile, _Final Challenge_ just scraped past the 50 000 view mark. I knew nothing I'd write could live up to _Final Challenge_, but I didn't expect this kind of discrepancy. It's kinda disheartening. Then again, maybe it's the battles. So far that's what it's mostly been about. **

**Well I honestly didn't expect this battle to take so long, but I just haven't been able to make it any shorter. We'll soon get into a bit more meaty stuff, but for now... Oh, and please keep in mind what I said in the introduction to the first chapter; the purpose of this story is to explain some of the events that occurred in _Final Challenge_. _Road to the Championship_ isn't a standalone story, per se, but more of a collection of shorter stories. They'll (mostly) be interlinked to an extent, but the real connecting story is, of course, _Final Challenge_. Just think of it as the anime, only focusing on every character, not just Ash. And I promise we'll get into that soon enough.**

**But for now, enjoy...**

* * *

"And we return to the second half of the match, this one being fought on a rock-field!" the commentator announced as the rock battlefield rose up from the subterranean depths to take the place of the destroyed ice field. "Despite a strong start, Ash Ketchum is now down 3-2 against Paul.

"Now, in regards to the last match, our judges have reviewed what occurred and verified Ketchum's claims that the ice underneath Torterra was about to shatter. In a noble move Ketchum retired his Gallade from the match, potentially saving his opponent's Pokemon from a serious fall. However, despite protests from many of you fans who have called in demanding that Gallade be restored to Ketchum's active team, the judge's have ruled that by throwing in the towel Gallade's right to compete was forfeited. So, we resume this match with Ketchum down 3-2. Can he recover from losing three Pokemon in a row? Only time will tell! You may both select your Pokemon!"

"Buizel, I choose you!" Ash shouted, making the first move and sending out the water-type.

"Buizel?" Paul snorted. "I thought you were going to have strong Pokemon on your team. _Evolved_ Pokemon. Your Buizel won't be out here for very long. Froslass, let's go!"

"Frrrr..." the ice-type murmured as it burst from Paul's Poke Ball, shaking its head and causing its arms to whirl slowly around its head. There were murmurs from the crowd at its beauty, and Froslass turned in a slow circle, hovering on the spot.

"So, it's Buizel vs. Froslass!" the commentator shouted. "Froslass and Glalie both evolve from Snorunt, and we know how Glalie's matches went! Folks, I don't think I'm wrong in saying that this battle is going to be one to remember!"

"Buoy buoy," Buizel grinned, beckoning Froslass forwards with one paw.

"Careful, Buizel," Ash cautioned, his eyes not leaving Paul's Froslass. "It may look beautiful and delicate, but it's one of the most dangerous Pokemon there is. Don't get overconfident."

"Buoy buoy," Buizel insisted, its eyes lighting up in delight at this tidbit of information as it beckoned Froslass forward even more eagerly.

"Folks, would you all look at Buizel!" the commentator called. "I can't remember the last time I saw a Pokemon raring to go so much, and an unevolved one at that!"

"Begin!" the referee shouted, raising both flags into the air.

"Froslass, use Confuse Ray!" Paul ordered.

"Close your eyes, Buizel!" Ash countered.

"Bad move, Ash!" Paul shouted. "Froslass, charge in there with a Signal Beam!"

"SonicBoom!" Ash retaliated. Froslass unleashed a blast of purple light from its eyes, and Buizel promptly closed its eyes to avoid becoming confused. Using the Confuse Ray as cover, Froslass began moving towards the water-type and shot a dual red-green beam from its mouth. Buizel stood motionless until its keen ears detected the slight hiss in the air. With lightning speed, the water-type leaped upwards and twisted its tail several times, sending a barrage of SonicBooms towards the Signal Beam. The two attacks burst apart on impact, and the Confuse Ray faded as Froslass lost concentration.

"Buoy," Buizel grinned, landing neatly and beckoning for more.

"What is with this Buizel?" Paul wondered aloud before ordering the next move. "Shadow Ball!"

"Use Aqua Jet!" Ash countered, and Buizel enveloped itself in a torrent of water before charging straight for Froslass, narrowly dodging the Shadow Ball.

"Freeze it in place with an Ice Beam!" Paul shouted.

"Charge right for it and spin!" Ash ordered, clenching his hands in victory.

"What are you doing, are you trying to lose?" Paul shouted across the field as thin icy tendrils erupted from Froslass's mouth.

"Are you?" Ash called back, a smile on his face. It struck Paul then. The memory, almost forgotten in all the travelling he had done since that time. Leaving a Pokemon Centre and noticing Ash participating in a Contest on TV, his spinning Buizel frozen into a spear of ice as it collided with a dumbstruck Lanturn...

"_Stop!_" he roared, but it was too late. It was the worst command he'd ever given. Froslass turned towards him quizzically, not noticing as Buizel's Aqua Jet froze, as the spinning motion made Buizel the centre of gravity and gave it perfect control, as the Ice Aqua Jet headed directly for it, acting as both a perfect weapon and an impenetrable defensive cocoon.

"_Move!_" Paul shouted, and Froslass turned back to the action to see what she was supposed to be moving away from. The Ice Aqua Jet smashed directly under Froslass's chin, driving the ghost type backwards. There was a sickening crack as Froslass ploughed through a massive boulder head first, erupting from the other end in a shower of broken rock before hitting a second and falling to the ground.

Even Ash was stunned at the result; the Ice Aqua Jet had never caused something like that to happen before... a head-first impact in battle was one thing, but at a speed where it went through one boulder and collided with a second...

Buizel seemed a bit shaken by what had happened too. In a rare gesture of concern for its opponent's state, the water-type lifted the fallen ice-type's head and tried to carry the Pokemon towards Paul. Grunting and turning away, Paul recalled Froslass and, instead of beckoning over Nurse Joy, pocketed the Poke Ball. Murmurs of disgust sprung up from the crowd, but Paul ignored them.

"Time to pay you back for that move," he snarled. "Torterra! Let's go!" The grass-type erupted from the Poke Ball, landing heavily on the ground and knocking Buizel onto it's backside at the impact.

* * *

"Torterra again?" Dawn asked in surprise.

"Well, it does have an advantage against Buizel; not that it needed it," Scott replied. "My guess is that Paul is angry about that last loss, but not for the right reasons. Instead of being mad about Buizel's ingenious attack, he's more frustrated with the fact that Buizel showed him and Froslass up so easily. The best way to remove a streak is to stop that streak from happening, so Paul's throwing everything he's got at Ash"

"Torterra has to be at least a little tired by now," Brock observed. "It's effectively taken down three of Ash's Pokemon, and Buizel is a scrappy fighter. I think there may still be a chance."

"We'll have to wait and see," Scott answered.

* * *

"Let's see..." Ash muttered. "Torterra's a grass type, but it's part ground as well. That means it'll be able to use the field better than Buizel. But if Buizel gets in a few hits, we could get lucky... Buizel!" he shouted.

"Buoy?"

"Aim for the brown on its body! It's part ground!"

"Buoy!" Buizel nodded, turning to Torterra with an eager look on its face.

"Use Water Gun!" Ash shouted, and Buizel spewed a powerful jet of liquid towards Torterra.

"Please," Paul snorted. "Torterra, Withdraw!" Torterra smiled and hunkered down on the ground, protecting the vulnerable parts of its body from the torrent of water. The attack instead splashed across Torterra's head, and it shook the water off easily.

"Aqua Jet!" Ash yelled, and Buizel once again enveloped itself in water and charged head-first towards Torterra.

"Break it apart with Razor Leaf!" Paul shouted.

"Avoid that with another spin!" Ash countered.

"Frenzy Plant!" Paul yelled. Buizel moved in close to Torterra, beginning to spin as the Razor Leaf shot towards it; the attack was either deflected or contained within Buizel's charge, but a massive series of thick, thorny vines erupted from the ground. Buizel somehow managed to dodge every one of them as they came up, but the water-type was unable to glance behind and see them. The Frenzy Plant's vines twisted and flew towards the small of Buizel's back.

"Pull up!" Ash shouted at the last possible second. Buizel, who was feet away from Torterra strained its back and shot skywards. Half of the vines followed the sudden vertical climb, but the other half smashed into Torterra's shell. Torterra let out a roar of pain at the impact and staggered backwards, but its scream was not as loud as Buizel's. The vines that had followed the vertical lunge wrapped themselves up into one massive vine and collided with the Aqua Jet, breaking it apart effortlessly and sending Buizel to the ground.

"Buizel!" Ash shouted in horror.

"Buizel is unable to battle!" the referee ruled. Ash wordlessly recalled Buizel into his Poke Ball and silently pressed his lips against it. He pocketed it and sighed, lowering his eyes. Glalie... Staraptor... Gallade... Buizel... Torterra had beaten all of them, and now he had only two Pokemon left to deal with Paul's remaining three.

"Do your best," he whispered, raising his fifth Poke Ball. "Monferno, I choose you!"

* * *

"Monferno?" Dawn asked. "He chose Monferno? I can't believe it."

"Can't believe what?" Scott asked.

"Monferno used to belong to Paul," Brock explained. "He caught it as a Chimchar, but released it when it didn't live up to his expectations. It chose to go with Ash instead of back into the wild, but it's a surprising choice."

"Not as surprising as you might think," Scott said slowly. "Sounds to me like Paul gave Monferno a real rough ride. I have a hunch that it will want some payback. This could be Ash's move of the match."

* * *

"Monferno?" Paul chuckled. "That pathetic thing? And here I thought you were going to use a real Pokemon. Just throw in the towel again; it'll make it easier on you." Ash sighed and shook his head.

"You've still got a lot to learn about Pokemon, Paul," he replied. "You don't know the true strength that friendship brings out. Monferno, show it to him!"

"Frrrr!" Monferno roared, beating its chest briefly before its whole body was enveloped by a blinding white light.

"No... no way," Paul gasped as Monferno's stature began to grow, as the flame on its tail migrated to the back of its head, as gauntlets appeared on its wrists, shoulders, chest, and knees. Powerfully compact muscles grew in place, and its body became tough and lithe as thick fur spread across its body. The light vanished, and Monferno was no more. In its place was...

"Infernape," Paul breathed.

"Infernape," Ash agreed, not a trace of levity on his face. Hard anger lined his eyes as he thought back to the treatment Paul had put Infernape as a Chimchar under, and the moment that it had been released. Looking at Infernape's taut muscles, he knew that the fire-type was remembering the same thing. "This is it, Paul," Ash said. "The match starts now. Are you ready to fight for the Championship?"

"I'm ready to win!" Paul snapped back. "Torterra, Infernape may be a fire-type but it's weak to your ground moves! Use Earthquake!"

* * *

May yawned and rolled over in her bed in the Pokemon Centre. A slight frown crossed over her sleepy face as she grasped for something that she couldn't quite identify. Her pillow? She could feel that under her head... her cuddling pillow? Definitely not that, she could feel that underneath her body. Then what...

"Wake up!" somebody shouted in her ear, and she bolted upright with a scream, scrabbling desperately for her blankets so she could pull them over her eyes. With horror, she realized that it was her blankets that were missing, and she turned to look towards the base of the bed just in time to have a glass of water sloshed in her face, followed by a very wet flannel.

Spluttering, she flung the water from her eyes and observed her brother doubled-over in laughter, an empty glass in one hand and her blankets clenched in another. He was laughing so hard that he didn't notice the danger signs in her eyes as she stood slowly, wet flannel in hand. But he quickly took notice when the flannel barely kissed his nose, May's aim wild in her rage.

She stood there, dripping, her eyes seemingly light with fire. Max gulped and took a nervous step backwards. "Hi sis," he said nervously. "Sleep okay?"

"Max! _I am going to kill you!_" she screamed dashing towards him with her arms outstretched. Max took the cue and darted from the bedroom, accidently dragging May's blankets with him. May tripped on the blankets as they crossed her path and fell to the ground, buying Max another second to make good his escape. She was up again almost instantly and dashed into the hallway, looking in every direction wildly. It was no good; her blankets were in a crumpled heap in the centre of the hallway, but her irritating little brother was nowhere to be seen.

"Uhh... uhh..." May turned to the side and noticed a guy who looked to be a few years older staring at her.

"Can I help you?" she asked, a little more aggressively than usual.

"Uhh... uhh..." the man repeated, seemingly incapable of closing his mouth. May followed his line of sight and realized that he was staring at her white shirt. Or rather, at the visible outline of her breasts through the now see-through shirt.

"In your dreams," May snapped, hastily grabbing her blankets and hoisting them up so that they covered her chest. She dashed back inside her room without another glance at the surprised and happy man, making sure to lock the door securely behind her. She sat on the bed with a groan, covering her eyes with her hands. Why did she wear a white shirt to bed? And why did Max have to throw _cold_ water over her?

There was a knock at the door and she heard her brother's voice; it sounded extremely hesitant. "May? Are you in there?" he asked.

"You'd better start running, Max," she growled back. "Once I've changed and caught you, you'll wish you were far away from here."

"I tried to wake you up by shaking you!" he protested. "It was the only way I could get you up! Why would you want to sleep until 1:00?"

"1:00?" she repeated.

"Don't you know what time it is?" Max asked, sounding exasperated. "If I hadn't woken you up you'd have missed the start of Ash's match!"

A shocking three minutes later May was standing in the hallway, fully changed into her favourite red outfit and primping the last few strands of her hair into place.

"That was fast," Max said, accustomed to his sister needing half-an-hour to get ready in a morning. "How did you manage to get showered so quickly?"

"Trade secret," May said, hiding a smile of embarrassment and hoping that her armpits weren't too smelly. "Where's the match being shown?"

"In the Lounge," Max answered. He hesitated a moment. "You aren't really going to get me back, are you?"

"Just this once I'll forgive you," May answered. "After all, you did get the boat tickets for tomorrow and wake me up in time for the match."

"That's unusually nice of you," he said.

"Uhh... uhh..." the same man as before said, still standing in the same spot and still staring at her chest. May looked down and sighed when she realized that she'd forgotten to do up two of her buttons. "Then again..." she muttered, turning away to finish the task.

"Hey, what's he staring at?" Max asked curiously, noticing the man's gormless expression.

"Hope that you never find out," May answered, walking down the stairs into the Lounge just in time to hear the commentator scream out '_Welcome to the final of the Sinnoh League!_'

* * *

Infernape took off at a run, utilizing the many boulders on the field as it hopped from position to position and avoided the Earthquake altogether.

"Flamethrower!" Ash ordered.

"Razor Leaf!" Paul countered, and the two attacks collided with a great force, the Flamethrower burning the leaves into dust, and the powerful impact of the Razor Leaf holding the Flamethrower in place. Both Pokemon let up their attacks at the same time, eyeing the other's strength trepeditiously.

"Mega Drain!" Paul shouted, and two tendrils of green light flew from Torterra's body on a direct course for Infernape; the fire-type didn't even need to wait for a command. It skipped along the tops of several rocks, avoiding the Mega Drain effortlessly as it wound up directly behind Torterra. Again Infernape didn't bother waiting for Ash's order, as it unleashed a second powerful Flamethrower; the slow-moving Torterra had only turned part of the way around, and it roared in pain as its body was engulfed in flames. It quickly shook he attack off, but by the time it finished turning Infernape had vanished again.

It quickly became apparent to everyone that Torterra had finally met its match in Infernape; it was far too slow to keep up with the fire-type, and too bulky to hide behind the rocks for a respite. Infernape, in comparison, utilized the field to its every advantage seemingly effortlessly. The rocks became its plaything as it skipped across the tops, ducking in between the boulders for an occasional surprise attack, moving around with supreme confidence and stamina. The fire-type was so fast that it had no problem staying behind Torterra, hitting it with the occasional Flamethrower and Flame Wheel, and making sure that the giant grass-type never caught sight of it. Paul and Torterra quite simply had no answer for the Pokemon's speed and type advantage. It didn't have the superior attack and defence that Torterra did, but it had speed and agility in their place and it used them to slowly chip away at Torterra's energy.

It was evident that the grass-type was becoming tired; even turning seemed to cause it fatigue. Its breaths came in ragged gasps, and sweat poured from its scarred, tough hide. Ash watched it all unfold silently, not even needing to give commands at this point; he and Infernape had reached a level of friendship that few trainers ever reached with their Pokemon. It was a connection he had developed only with Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Charizard, Corphish, Gallade, and Infernape; the two were so innately close that words were not needed to understand what was being said. Body language was enough; it told far more than speech ever could. Infernape knew what attacks to use simply by glancing at its trainer.

It was a technique Ash had begun learning after battling against Anabel at the Battle Frontier, and though he usually still voiced the commands in this case he felt that it was more than appropriate to make an exception. To Paul, Infernape's ability to just launch attack after attack when Ash didn't say a word was baffling; it was something he could not comprehend. To Ash, it was justice; and he saved his words for the final coup-de-grace.

"Infernape, use Dig!" he called.

"In-_ferrrr_!" Infernape howled as it jumped into the air, rotated, and dove into the ground headfirst, great clods of pebbles and soil flying into the air behind it. It popped up on the other side of Torterra, jumped a foot to the side and dove back under the earth again before reappearing slightly to the side of the original hole. Again the fire-type jumped over to the side before digging into the ground for the third time and climbing out on the other side of Torterra.

The grass-type followed the fire-type as it burst from the air in confusion, its head swinging from side-to-side as Infernape jumped into and out of the earth with a startling rapidity. Paul was equally nonplussed at what he saw; he'd heard rumours of Ash's ability to turn a battlefield to his advantage, but he had no idea how digging so many holes could possibly do anything except make Infernape tired. There was no advantage there. Brock, on the other hand, saw it almost instantly.

"What?" Dawn asked, hearing his gasp.

"Don't you remember?" he asked. "The Forest of Hesitation? Turtwig vs. Chimchar?" Dawn frowned for a moment, trying to remember. Her face lit up as the realization struck her.

"You mean..." she began.

"Yeah," Brock nodded, "and it looks like Ash remembers it too. Now the question is; does Paul?"

* * *

Infernape vanished under the earth yet again, but this time it did not reappear. A quiet settled over the Stadium as everyone leaned forward, wondering what was coming next. Torterra looked from hole-to-hole nervously, its battered body heaving heavily from the exertions it had been put under, its legs trembling dangerously. Paul surveyed the battlefield critically, desperate to figure out what Ash's strategy was. His eyes took stock of the holes surrounding Torterra, the boulders, the spaces between them, the holes surrounding Torterra... the holes surrounding Torterra... It struck him.

"Torterra, get out of there! Now!" he shouted. The grass-type took one step on its trembling legs and its knees gave way beneath it. The crowd gasped as Torterra fell with a groan, and Ash seized his chance.

"Infernape, use Blast Burn!"

The ground beneath Torterra trembled ominously and loose pebbles on a nearby boulder clattered free, striking the grass-type harmlessly on the back as they fell. A blast of flame leapt high into the sky from one hole, and then from another, and another, and another. Within seconds a veritable maelstrom of flames spun around the exhausted grass-type, trapping it within the fiery heat. Torterra let out a low moan as its large body was assailed by the inferno, but the worst was yet to come.

The very ground beneath Torterra cracked ominously. Though nobody could see the Pokemon's panicked expression through the flames as it looked imploringly at its trainer, it was impossible to miss the earth collapse. For a moment Torterra seemed to hang in the air, and then, as its body began to fall into the crater caused by Infernape's numerous Digs, the largest and most intense flame of all blasted from the centre of the ground.

The full power of the Blast Burn was more than any of them could have imagined; the flames shot a full thirty feet in the air; not the red flame typically associated with a fire attack, but a stunning mixture of white and purple. It seemed as if the attack went on for eternity, though in reality it was all over in a matter of seconds. There was a stunned silence as the flames abruptly vanished, only to be replaced by billowing clouds of black smoke that seemed to wring every ounce of oxygen from the air.

Infernape leapt from the centre of the smoke, somersaulting gracefully in the air before coming to rest on the top of the lone rock that poked above the noxious clouds. It panted heavily, exhausted by its exertions though it had not been touched by a single one of Torterra's attacks. But nobody paid any attention to the tired fire-type, their eyes all trained unblinkingly on the centre of the smoke. Slowly it began to disperse, and when it did the crowd let out a collective gasp. Paul lowered his head and turned away, unwilling to look upon his beaten Pokemon or hear the referee's pronouncement. Torterra's four victories meant nothing to him; it was this one loss against Infernape that counted.

"Return," he said, his eyes closed as the red light of the Poke Ball recalled his Pokemon. He pocketed it without a word, reaching instead for his fifth choice in the match. "Ursaring, let's go!" he shouted, unleashing the furiously short-tempered and fierce normal-type. "Use Focus Blast!"

"Flamethrower!" Ash countered. A ball of energy so blue that it seemed almost white formed in Ursaring's hands. The bear-like Pokemon snarled and shot it straight at Infernape, who was still perched on the rock. Infernape quickly countered the attack with a jet of flames from its mouth; the two attacks collided, fused, exploded, and the remnants quickly vanished.

"You've got to get it off of that rock, Ursaring!" Paul shouted. "Charge up to it and use Headbutt!"

"Stop it with another Flamethrower, Infernape!" Ash ordered. As Ursaring ran at full speed towards the rock, Infernape let loose another powerful fire attack; with surprising agility, Ursaring managed to avoid the flames and, with a roar, struck its head powerfully against the boulder. A jagged crack ran up to the top and the rock shattered, dropping a surprised Infernape headfirst towards the earth. It screeched in pain as the falling stones pummelled its body during the fall, but with its incredible agility it managed to twist itself upright and land on its feet.

Ash surveyed the result in dismay. Ursaring was still fresh, but Infernape looked near its limit. The battle against Torterra had cost more of its endurance than he'd anticipated, and it stood panting on the ground. There was no doubt in his mind that Infernape was the faster of the two by far, but how much longer could it keep going? It didn't look like Infernape could do too much dodging here; he would have to go for pure power and hope for the best.

"Infernape, another Flamethrower!" he shouted.

"Dodge it and hit back with a Hammer Arm!" Paul ordered.

"Ember!" Infernape let loose another blast of flames, but Ursaring danced away and charged in close, both arms raised and glowing white. Infernape waited and flipped moments before the normal-type came in range; it ended up behind it and sent out a rapid-fire barrage of red-hot coals; they struck Ursaring powerfully in the back, and it roared in pain as the attack knocked it to the ground.

"Flame Wheel!" Ash yelled, knowing this was his best chance to take the normal-type out.

"Slash!" Paul retaliated. Infernape charged in close towards Ursaring, its whole body wreathed in flames as it jumped, twisted itself into a ball, and rolled along the ground towards the normal-type. Ursaring reacted to Paul's command blindly, not wasting any time in getting to its feet and turning; it was a lucky shot. The Slash connected with the Flame Wheel perfectly, dispersing the flames and sending Infernape flying into a nearby boulder. Ursaring roared in triumph as it got to its feet, but Infernape leapt from the dust in a surprise move that caught everyone, even Ash, off-guard.

Its eyes were red with rage, and it darted in close under Ursaring's guard, unleashing a devastating series of punches, kicks and headbutts. Ursaring staggered back, surprised at the ferocity of the attack and unable to defend itself due to the close range.

Ash was not surprised at Infernape's amazing hand-to-hand combat skills; it was, after all, part-fighting, and he had made sure to train Infernape as best as he could for close-range battles. He was, however, surprised by the barrage being unleashed now. It was an attack he recognized from a battle several months before, but it was not one he'd been aware Infernape knew of. There was no doubt though that the Close Combat was an incredibly powerful technique; Ursaring, who had been raring to go just moments ago, now looked as if it had battled all four of his Pokemon.

At last, its energy almost completely spent, Infernape collapsed to its knees, breathing heavily. Ursaring staggered backwards and fell too, its head woozy from the many powerful head-shots it had just received. Both Pokemon stayed that way for several seconds, eyes closed and gasping. And then, with a mighty effort, Ursaring climbed back to its feet with a snarl while Infernape continued to kneel.

"This ends here," Paul said with a grin. "Your Sinnoh League dreams are over Ash."

"Get up, Infernape!" Ash pleaded, ignoring Paul's taunt. "I know you can do it, please!" Infernape's eyes closed and its panting abruptly ceased. There was a sudden blinding burst of scarlet light, and when the spots cleared from everyone's eyes they saw Infernape on its feet, a crimson aura pulsating through its body and the flame on its head easily twice as intense as before. Infernape's Blaze was in full effect, and Ash knew that this was his last chance.

"Infernape, go! Use Flare Blitz!" he shouted.

"Hammer Arm, Ursaring!" Paul yelled. The two Pokemon charged at one another at full speed, Infernape's outline visible through a wreath of sizzling flames, Ursaring's arms raised and glowing with power. At the moment that Infernape leaped for Ursaring's chest, the normal-type swung both arms downwards; the Flare Blitz collided with the Hammer Arm at full force and there was a massive explosion that sent both Pokemon flying past the trainer boxes and into the wall that separated crowd from battlefield. Both Pokemon landed on their feet and promptly collapsed.

"Infernape and Ursaring are both unable to battle!" the referee ruled, raising both flags.

"Great job, Infernape," Ash whispered as he recalled the exhausted fire-type. "You did everything you had to and more; thank you so much."

"Pathetic," Paul muttered, pocketing Ursaring's Poke Ball.

Ash and Paul looked across the nearly destroyed battlefield at each other. This was it; their final battle. Both were down five Pokemon; both had only one Pokemon left. And both knew who the other's last choice would be. There was only one battle left; the final challenge for the Sinnoh League.

"Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Electivire! Go!"

* * *

**As always, please review; I seem to have hit an all-time low in the reviews of what I've written, and I can't even begin to tell you how valuable that reader feedback is to me.**


	5. The Championship

**Sorry for the long wait; University really takes a lot of time now. Hopefully you'll enjoy this installment!**

**Ideas on what to do are simply pouring through me like you wouldn't believe, but sadly none are to do with this story. I have too many ideas at this point to ever be able to get all of them down. So, I'm looking for someone who would like to do them for me ;) If you're interested in giving it a shot, let me know in a review or PM. I'll want to make sure that I pick the person who I think can best follow my vision as part of the _Final Challenge_ universe, so I'll be checking out what work any interested people have done so I can make the right choice. Interested? Let me know and I'll tell you the details.**

**Anyways, on with the story!**

* * *

"Not a chance," Reggie said flatly towards the telephone's screen. His arms folded, he glared into its depths so piercingly that had it been any other human on the planet, they would have flinched. Not his father, however.

"You're my eldest son," replied the man he was talking to. He sighed sadly. "This is what I've raised you for; your entire life has been about this moment."

"I said no," Reggie answered baldly. "Why do you think I moved away from Kanto? To get away from your corrupting influence! I only wish I could have brought Paul with me... I wanted him to see that Pokemon aren't just tools to be used at a whim."

"Your words hurt me," his father groaned. "I tried my best to raise you all with care; it isn't easy, being a single father with three kids and a massive business to use. Besides, Paul never wanted to be away from me, and I taught him everything he knows."

"That's obvious enough," Reggie retorted. "When I left Kanto he was still a kind and polite person, though he had his rough edges; but when he started his Sinnoh journey and came to me asking if he could keep his Pokemon at my house, I almost didn't recognize him. He'd gone from caring to manipulative, and it showed in the treatment of his Pokemon." His father's gaze hardened.

"You'll drop that tone right now," he warned, anger flashing through his eyes. "I'm not responsible for the way he treats his Pokemon; he alone is. It's not as if I stole them for him." Reggie laughed.

"I don't even know how he captured most of his Pokemon," he replied, "not even Torterra. He was a resident of Kanto when he started his journey, not Sinnoh. I thought he started with a Bulbasaur, but next thing I know it isn't even registered in his Pokedex."

"His Bulbasaur lost every battle it was a part of, so Paul left it in the forest somewhere in between Cerulean and Vermillion and picked up a wild Turtwig while he was in there," his father said. "Can't say I blame him, that Bulbasaur was so weak."

"Now that's exactly what I'm talking about!" Reggie flared up. "With that kind of attitude I'm not surprised he turned out this way. What sad excuse for an upbringing did he have, eh?"

"That's enough!" his father roared. "You'll shut your mouth right now if you know what's good for you!"

"No, I won't!" Reggie shouted back. "The kind of creeps you turned Paul and Damian into disgusts me. And you want me to take over Team Rocket for you? It's abhorrent!"

"Well you seem all high-and-mighty about it," his father seethed. "I can't have been that bad a father if you turned out so great!"

"I was lucky that I still had Mom around to make me into a decent person," Reggie snarled. "She couldn't cope with it all; she couldn't be a satisfactory wife to the all-important crime lord of Kanto. What mere mortal woman could? She died of a broken heart, and you were the reason why."

"You go too far!" Giovanni roared, seemingly ready to strangle the camera, flecks of spit hitting the lens and his face contorted with rage.

"I'm not going far enough!" Reggie countered, his own visage distorted in anger. "Every word is the truth and you know it! I told you seven years ago that I wasn't taking over Team Rocket from you, and I'm telling you again now! Everything you do is the exact opposite of who I am. I've done nothing but tell you this for all these years, and you still won't listen!"

"Are you sure that is the way you want it to be?" Giovanni asked quietly.

"There's no doubt in my mind at all," Reggie retorted.

"Then that's the way it's going to be," Giovanni growled, "but I warn you now for the first and only time. You will never step foot in Kanto again; if there is so much as a sniff of you planning a trip here..."

"Don't worry," Reggie laughed, "I wouldn't want to come within an ocean of you anyways. Everything you do, everything you are, is disgusting to me. As far as I'm concerned, you aren't my father. _He_ died a long time ago." With that said, he cut the connection and slumped back with a groan.

He didn't want to see or talk with Giovanni ever again, but that didn't make what he'd done any easier. With Giovanni gone, Damian was as well. As for Paul... that would have to wait to be seen after the Championship battle against Ash. He turned back to the TV without much interest, noting dully that both had only one Pokemon left.

"Go," he said unenthusiastically.

* * *

"Go!" Ash roared, "Quick Attack!"

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted, dashing forwards in a blur of speed that made it nearly impossible to see. Paul grinned and looked away without comment, not bothering to order a counterattack. Pikachu ran the last few feet and leaped forwards, smashing headfirst into Electivire. The crowd gasped as Electivire simply scratched at its belly, seemingly not affected by the impact as Pikachu bounced back, stunned.

"Grab it," Paul said, sounding bored. Before Ash or Pikachu could react, Electivire shot out both arms and grasped Pikachu around the middle, lifting it up to eye-level. Pikachu struggled to get away, sparks flying from its cheeks but Electivire simply leered as it felt the electric-type wriggling in its grasp. "Screech," Paul said, still not deigning to look at the battlefield. Electivire slowly opened its mouth and a horrible sound reverberated throughout the arena. Pikachu let out a cry as it felt the notes blasting into its head, struggling as hard as it could to get loose.

"Pikachu, try an Iron Tail!" Ash shouted, watching in horror as Pikachu was subjected to the torturous notes. Pikachu's tail began glowing white, but try as it might it could not manoeuvre the attack so that it could hit Electivire. The glow faded and Ash felt a pit of fear in his stomach as he saw Pikachu's struggles begin to falter. "Get out of there, Pikachu!" he roared. "I don't care what you do, just get loose!"

"Here comes the power boost," Paul smirked, his eyes closed. "Fool; he should know that any electric moves will just make Electivire stronger. This will be the quickest final matchup in League history." His gaze snapped open and returned to the battlefield when, instead of hearing the crackling sound of a Thunderbolt, Electivire roared in pain. He was stunned at what he saw; Pikachu stood several feet away, shaking its head to get rid of the last vestiges of the Screech, and its cheeks sparking. Electivire was hunched over and, though it was hard to tell from his position, it seemed as if his Pokemon were clutching its hand.

"Electivire, what's wrong?" Paul shouted, a note of fear in his voice as he noticed a small reddish stain on the ground in between the two Pokemon. Pikachu suddenly hacked, its eyes constricting and its fur twitching as its throat bulged. It coughed once again and spat out a lump of something yellow and black. Paul stared at it for a moment. "Wait a minute... Electivire, did Pikachu _bite_ you?" he asked.

"Graagghh!" Electivire roared, still clutching at its hand as it threw back its head.

"I didn't know Pikachu could learn Bite," he muttered.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Ash shouted from across the field. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, hop-skipping a few yards before jumping into the air and laying a powerful Iron Tail across the top of Electivire's head.

"_Grraagggghhhh!_" Electivire screamed, forgetting the bite and clutching at the top of its head instead; the crowd gasped as the electric-type crashed to its knees, seemingly out of the match already.

"Finish it off!" Ash shouted. "Quick Attack!"

"Not so fast," Paul snarled. "Electivire, use Thunder on yourself!"

With a mighty effort, Electivire threw out both arms to the side and let out a horrible scream. Clouds gathered and darkened as the Pokemon expelled its wrath and pain towards the sky, and as Pikachu raced towards it at a blinding speed. And then a massive bolt of lightning burst from the sky, streaking down towards Electivire. Ash bit his lip as he watched, his every nerve trembling as he constantly shifted his gaze between Pikachu and the lightning. It would be a close race, and there was no way to tell which would hit first.

And then the Thunder landed, enveloping Electivire in a blinding glare that forced everyone in the stadium, Paul and Ash included, to shield their eyes from the blast. Ash's stomach dropped as he heard a devastating scream of pain coming from his Pokemon.

"Pikachu!" he yelled. "Pikachu, are you okay?" The brilliant light from the Thunder faded and he strained forwards, trying to see the result from Paul's attack. The situation did not look good.

Electivire was back on its feet and swinging its arms, seemingly revitalized from the blast of electricity. On the other hand, Pikachu had been hurled backwards in the blast and was now struggling to get to its feet. Ash bit his lip at the sight; Pikachu's right flank had been scorched badly, and the electric-type was in obvious pain as it heavily favoured the support of its left legs.

"Pikachu... can you go on?" he called.

"Of course it can't," Paul taunted immediately. "Look at it; Electivire is stronger and faster now than ever before, and Pikachu can barely stand. It's over."

"It's not over unless Pikachu says it's over!" Ash retorted with a bite in his voice, though the look he gave his Pokemon was one filled with worry.

"Give up," Paul said, revelling in the powerful advantage he now had in the battle. "You don't have a chance; if a Pokemon can't stand, it can't fight. Why would you want to get Pikachu hurt even more? It's a pathetic Pokemon, and it's shown that today."

Pikachu ignored Ash's testy retort; it ignored its opponent, the crowd, even the pain as it focused all of its energy on glaring at Paul. The black eyes narrowed and reddened in rage as it focused on the nasty trainer who had never done anything but belittle it, its trainer, and its teammates. A blinding hate erupted in its heart and, though its energy was running low after the Thunder, it focused its power into an act of defiance at the person it was determined to beat at any cost.

Warmth crept across its skin as the familiar electricity began to spread throughout its body, the dangerous red cheeks beginning to spark. Electivire took a slight step backwards, looking at Pikachu uneasily as it felt the power in the little Pokemon growing rapidly. With a screech of defiance, Pikachu threw back its head and an incredibly powerful blast of electricity erupted from its body and shot towards the darkly-clouded sky.

"What?" Ash gasped, instinctively moving backwards.

"Impossible!" Paul shouted, covering his eyes.

"Vire!" Electivire agreed, moving as far away as the boundaries of the battlefield would allow.

The energy coming from Pikachu's body was incredible; it was a power that even Ash had never witnessed from the Pokemon before. It scorched the earth around it, and even with his face shielded Paul could feel the static drying out his eyeballs. And the power kept growing, Pikachu's hatred towards Paul feeding off of a core of energy he didn't even know he possessed. The electricity discharging into the sky became so great that soon a tornado of power rotated inside the stadium, miniature bolts of lightning shooting out and striking various points around the stadium unexpectedly as the tip slowly moved downwards towards the source of its creation. And still it grew, Pikachu's voice rising in octaves as more and more of the sudden surge of power was dispelled from its body.

"This... is... unreal," Paul gritted, feeling the energy as it pulsated across his body. With a surge of fear he realized he was being pushed back by the power, back towards the edge of the trainer's box. He reached out an arm to the railing to hold himself in place and let out a scream as static electricity coursed through his veins, letting go abruptly and seizing his scorched hand gingerly. "No way..." he whispered, braving himself to open his eyes and catch a glimpse of the Pokemon.

"Pikachu!" Ash screamed as the tornado's tip reached the ground and enveloped his Pokemon. "Pikachu, stop it please! You'll kill yourself!" Pikachu's voice rose another octave as its trainer's voice cut through the fury in its mind; with a massive effort it let loose one final screech of rage and severed the flow of power from its body. The tornado rotated slowly in the air several more times before it exploded; people screamed as they were thrown backwards from the blast, as glass shattered from the Stadium's lights, and as the rocks on the battlefield burst apart into rubble. Ash and Paul were both thrown out of their trainer's boxes by the force, and even Electivire was smashed into the partition that separated the battlefield from spectators.

"Chah," Pikachu growled, looking towards Paul and Electivire dangerously with red eyes as blue sparks played across its skin. "Pikaa."

* * *

"_What the hell was that?_" May screeched, leaping up from the couch as the picture on the TV crackled and died. "Just what the hell was that?"

"I... I don't know," Max said, his throat dry as he looked at the static-filled screen. "I've never seen anything like that before in my life. It was so powerful... I can't believe that came from Pikachu."

"But what _was_ it?" May repeated.

"I still don't know," Max answered, slightly irritably. "Whatever it was, it took out the television feed." Another thought occurred to May, and she sat back down hard.

"I... I hope Ash and Pikachu are both alright," she whispered.

* * *

"Have... have I gone blind?" Dawn whispered, feeling gingerly in front of her face as she climbed to her feet. "I can't see anything!"

"Look around," Brock answered in a low voice, already standing again. "Look at Pikachu."

"But... I can't see," she said as a light rain began to fall.

"Are your eyes open?" Brock answered. Dawn checked and blushed sheepishly.

"They are now, but I still can't see anything," she said.

"Follow my voice," Brock said. "Look in my direction and you should see it." Dawn gingerly turned in the direction she thought Brock was in and took a step forwards.

"Ouch!" Scott complained. "That was my foot!"

"Sorry," Dawn said hastily, turning back in the opposite direction. She took another step and walked into Brock. She squeaked in surprise and almost fell, but he reached out and steadied her.

"Easy," he said. "Take a look at this." Dawn looked and her jaw dropped.

"What... what..." she began.

"I don't know," Brock said. "I don't know what this is, or what it means." Dawn looked awestruck at the battlefield, and the Pokemon standing on all fours at its centre.

Blue sparks continued to flash across Pikachu's body as it trembled there; whether through fear, exhaustion, or power, it was impossible to tell. Those were unremarkable compared to the major transition, however. The electric-type's body gleamed golden, seemingly surrounded by its own visible aura of energy as it stood there. The glow was so brilliant that everything around it seemed to be pure darkness, though it was just barely possible to discern some features of the battlefield. The glow grew and faded every three or four seconds in an incessant cycle. It was both beautiful and terrifying.

"What is this?" Dawn asked, fear in her voice.

"I wish I knew," Brock said. "I wish I knew."

* * *

Ash climbed back into his box and watched in awe as Pikachu's body glowed brilliantly in the darkness; as the rain fell against the pulsating energy in his starter's body it sizzled and evaporated, and the aura was luminous enough for him to make out the sight of Paul and Electivire at the far end.

"Umm... I guess the battle's postponed for now?" the referee suggested weakly, viewing the massive damage to the battlefield and Stadium.

"Pikachu..." Ash breathed, not hearing the referee. "What's happened to you?"

"I don't know and I don't care!" Paul spat as he crawled over the ladder and into his trainer box. "It's still weak! Electivire, Thunder Punch!"

"The match really should be stopped," the referee said, but Electivire charged forwards with a glowing fist, heedless of the instruction.

"Pikachu, look out!" Ash shouted. Pikachu gazed at the charging opponent and vanished. Ash blinked, pinched his face and blinked again before realizing that Pikachu was now standing behind Electivire; how he had no idea.

"It's behind you!" Paul yelled. "Use Iron Tail!" Electivire lashed out with its tail blindly, a move that Pikachu avoided easily. Paul gritted his teeth in frustration and glared at the glowing electric-type. "Try a Thunderbolt!" he shouted, and Electivire turned with a roar as it unleashed the attack.

"Thunderbolt back!" Ash yelled, and Pikachu shot out its own bolt of electricity. The two attacks collided, and for the briefest of seconds it appeared their strength was even. Then, with the tiniest of efforts, Pikachu's Thunderbolt blasted forwards and easily overwhelmed Electivire's attack; the Pokemon roared and staggered backwards as the electricity enveloped its body, and Paul pumped his fist in exultation.

"Yes, another boost!" he smiled. The smile quickly turned to a frown when he realized that Electivire had fallen off its feet, its strikingly striped fur scorched. "What?" he gasped.

"Not even Electivire's Electric Engine ability can handle the conductive effect of water, Paul," Ash said, indicating the still-falling rain. "It's too much for Electivire to handle."

"I'm not finished," Paul snarled. "Pikachu's got some weird boost from that glow, but the water runs both ways. Electivire, try another Thunderbolt!"

"Dodge and use Quick Attack!" Ash retaliated. The first sparks of electricity had only just left Electivire when it doubled over in pain, Pikachu having blasted into its stomach at an incredible speed that left Paul gaping.

"No... no!" he shouted, for the first time feeling as if the Championship had been lost. "That kind of speed is impossible! Electivire!"

"It's over, Paul," Ash said flatly. "Give up."

"I'll never give up; not to you!" Paul roared. "Electivire, get up and take that Pikachu down in one hit – Giga Impact!"

"You're a fool, Paul," Ash said sadly. "Pikachu, finish this now; Volt Tackle!"

The two Pokemon ran at each other at full speed, Electivire encased in a purple cocoon of light and Pikachu's aura now brighter than ever and leaving a trail behind on the ground. The two smashed head-on, and it was Electivire's Giga Impact that was blown apart, it was Electivire that flew backwards in the air, it was Electivire who hit the ground, its body trembling and its eyes closed, barely able even to breathe.

Pikachu stood alone on the field, its body still glowing with power, completely unfazed by the colossal impact that had just occurred. It gazed briefly at the fallen Electivire before turning and giving Paul a contemptuous and dirty look. The gleaming golden aura faded from Pikachu's body as it ran across the battlefield to a stunned Ash, as the referee lifted his flag and announced his victory.

"We did it..." he whispered, sinking to his knees in shock. "We did it... we won."


	6. Dark Ball

**Sorry for the delay, everyone; it's been a while and I don't really have much to show for it, unfortunately. But you guys have been sharp with the subtle clues I left in the last chapter. Congrats to all who recognized the relevance of the location where Paul released his Bulbasaur; and if you haven't figured that one out yet, I'll say no more! ;)**

**Anyways, on to the next chapter. Ash gets a shock, and we meet an old "friend". No clue when the next chapter will go up, but I'll try to make it a bit longer than this one. Enjoy!**

* * *

The lightning bolt blasted narrowly past his ear and blasted through the trunk of a massive tree; unfazed by the attack, he merely grinned and took another step forwards. Scattered on the ground of the clearing in front of him was an assortment of injured and unconscious electric Pokemon. Mareep and Flaaffy, Magnemite and Magneton, Elekid, even a Jolteon. Standing silent and motionless at his back was the terrifying Tyranitar he had used to subdue them; and the Pokemon he would use to weaken the snarling beast that stood before him.

"Hurt its type and it will come to protect them," he murmured. "It never fails. And now I will do what Bashou and Buson could not; and my revenge will at last be on its way to fruition." He briefly stroked the heavy metallic-gold mask that covered his face, remembering what had driven him to this desperate plan. "Those treacherous scum," he muttered to himself with venom; "I'll teach them for betraying my plans to _him_. I used to wear this to instil fear; now I do it to avoid looking at my own face." He was startled out of his bitter thoughts by a snarl from the beast as it took a step forward. He grinned and moved even closer.

"Tyranitar; go and get it," he ordered, folding his arms across his chest. He watched in satisfaction as his Pokemon lumbered forwards unquestionably; its eyes dull, though not with sadness. There was no emotion in those pupils, only obedience. But then, he thought, how can there possibly be emotion when there is no soul?

The beast snarled and unleashed a devastating electric attack on Tyranitar, an attack which had no effect on the possessed Pokemon. The beast tried again, and again to no avail. It was quickly apparent that it had no chance against the Tyranitar, but that did not prevent it from trying. Refraining from another discharge, it instead lunged forwards and slashed with a paw, laying open the Tyranitar's leg. There was a bellow of pain and the Tyranitar lunged forwards in retaliation, head-butting the creature and scoring several deep furrows on the flank with its claws. The lithe, tiger-like beast quickly rolled out of the way and came up behind the Tyranitar, slashing again at its back. The Tyranitar instinctively lashed out with its tail, but speed was on the beast's side and it avoided the attack effortlessly.

He grinned as he noted the position of the two creatures and reached for his belt. "Perfect," he murmured, enlarging a violet ball that was covered in flowing black stripes. "Its back is turned; it won't notice a thing." He reached back, pivoted, and threw the strange object with all of his might. It smashed the beast in the small of the back and it turned with a yowl, ready to attack him for the strike. But it was already too late. The visible shape of the beast disintegrated into a cloud of energy and, helpless, it was sucked inside the sphere. The device shut with a metallic clang, and he walked forwards, not bothering to wait for the ball to stop shaking. For unlike a regular Poke Ball, the Dark Ball never failed to capture its target.

"Excellent work, Tyranitar," he said, picking the Dark Ball up and examining it briefly before pocketing it. "If I'd thrown it while it was facing me, it would have dodged for sure." He eyed the wounds on the Tyranitar's leg and back and felt his skin heat up. "Blood... gotta love blood..." he muttered. "Good thing you can't feel any pain, eh? The miracles of the Dark Ball; I love 'em." He turned away and stretched, his heart feeling lighter as the realization that his goal was one step closer to completion hit him.

"Raikou is mine," he murmured, flexing his fingers. "Next up: Suicune."

* * *

Ash's head was in a whirlwind. He sat alone in his trainer room, waiting. Not that he minded the wait; he needed some time to sort through the emotions in his head. He did wish that Brock and Dawn could be with him so he'd have someone to help him through this confusing flurry, though there was little chance of that happening with the Press bunched up against the door, waiting for him to step outside. He shuddered. The victory, the achievement of a goal he'd had since he was a baby was a truly fantastic thing. The Press constantly haranguing him, however... Perhaps it was unavoidable that he would become an instant celebrity, but he wished that part of the victory could in some way be avoided.

"Look at you; the Sinnoh League Champion! But you're wearing a frown that makes you look like you lost. Why so sad?" a voice behind him asked. Ash jumped up in shock, turning so fast that he tripped and fell on his side.

"Ouch," he groaned, climbing to his feet. "That actually hurt." He looked in the direction of the tunnel to the battlefield and saw Cynthia leaning casually against a pillar in her trademark black, her arms folded and a slight smile on her face from witnessing his tumble. His jaw dropped as the notion struck his brain that she was actually standing in the room.

"Cy-Cynthia," he stuttered. "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you since we took down Team Galactic! I- Wait a minute... How did you get in here? The Press is on the other side of the door."

"Easy, one question at a time," she laughed. "What am I doing here? Well since it's tradition for the winner of a League to take on the Elite Four Challenge, as the Champion I'm naturally interested in seeing who my potential opponent is and learning a bit about them; I've watched every match of this tournament that I could, though since you ended up winning I may as well not have bothered. After all, we've battled side-by-side enough times that I know all about your battle style." She winked.

"As for how I got in here... the Press may be on the other side of that door but there's only a few security guards up in the tunnel, and no security guard would dare stop the Champion from meeting and introducing herself to a prospective challenger." She winked again and laughed. "It's amazing how well Officer Jenny and the rest of the Sinnoh Police force have hushed up the fact that we were both involved in the destruction of Team Galactic. Those guards didn't have a clue that I already know you so well; if they did, they may have been less inclined to let me through."

"So... why are you here?" Ash asked. "The battlefield and Stadium have been really damaged, and the award ceremony is postponed until tomorrow while they try to fix the power and make sure that there won't be a fire hazard."

"Well, I'm here for a couple of reasons," Cynthia answered, moving towards and sitting down on the bench before motioning for Ash to sit next to her. "You see, the unpleasant reality is that you may be disqualified."

"What?" he shouted, jumping up in horror. "Why?"

"That last battle, Pikachu against Electivire," she said. "Nobody's ever seen anything like what happened to Pikachu. That kind of power is unreal, and is almost too much to be grasped. Now, there's nothing against the rules which says that causing damage to the Stadium is enough to disqualify someone; if there was, any trainer who ordered their Pokemon to use a move like Dig or Fissure would be disqualified."

"So then what's the problem? Why would I be disqualified?"

"It's not because of what Pikachu did, Ash; I'm sorry if what I said made you think that. It's because of what happened _to_ Pikachu. The officials just want some Pokemon experts to give Pikachu an examination, that's all. It's unlikely you'll be disqualified; they'd only do that if Pikachu's power had been boosted by a means outside of the regulations."

"Who are the experts?" Ash asked, and Cynthia smiled.

"I think you know them; and they should be here soon, too," she added, glancing at her watch. "Professors Rowan and Oak are the ones that the officials contacted."

"Professor Rowan and Professor Oak?" Ash asked incredulously. "What are they doing here?"

"Professor Rowan came with me to watch the match," Cynthia answered. "I must say, it was nice to have his company; I hadn't seen him since the Team Galactic affair either, and I'd been meaning to catch up with him and his research. You know, he invited Professor Oak to Sinnoh for his help in investigating why the legendary birds have been sighted in Sinnoh so frequently over the last few months; as you know, they're normally indigenous to Kanto."

"Cynthia, do you think I have anything to worry about with this check?" Ash asked.

"I doubt it," she said with a smile. "I know you'd never do anything to gain a weak advantage like that; I think the officials are just curious about what happened. They probably want to spread the word to the world, looking for their five minutes of fame in reporting what happened today."

* * *

"May, it's back on!" Max shouted from the couch in the lounge. May, who had gotten frustrated with staring at the static TV screen and had wandered off to pace it away, charged back into the room and skidded to a halt just before she hit the couch. The eager look on her face quickly vanished when she realized that it was not the battle that was being shown, but a surly looking anchorman.

"Max," she began, but he pressed a finger to his lips and hissed.

"Shh, you'll miss it," he said, focusing on the television screen.

"We apologize for the delay," the anchorman said; "from what we understand, this is an outage that is occurring globally and that originates in the Sinnoh League Stadium. No networks that were showing the battle currently have footage beyond that bizarre image of what appeared to be the formation of an electrical tornado. However, we've managed to establish a radio link with our correspondent in the Stadium and we can reveal the following information.

"The electrical formation was apparently some form of an attack from Ketchum's Pikachu, completely unlike anything ever seen before. This attack may have been the cause for the feed failure in the Stadium, but it was also enough to win Ketchum the match and the Championship. Now, this result is under review by the officials as they believe..."

"He did it," May whispered, completely disregarding the last part of the anchorman's update. "He actually did it... he won! Max, he won!" Elation surged through her at the news of Ash's victory, though it was tempered by the inner sadness and disappointment she felt towards herself at giving up on her own goals so easily. Ash had finally achieved what he had set out to do all those years ago, and she was going home a beaten person...

_We're worlds apart_, she realized. _We travelled together, we're friends, but we've become more distant since I left for Johto... the biggest mistake of my life._ She sighed, thinking about it all. The agony of parting with Ash, and the eagerness of achieving her dream. All it had led to was heartbreak. Twice. _If only I'd known of the Contests in Sinnoh... things may have been different. But he's got Dawn now, and Misty back in Kanto. I doubt he'd ever have a need to come to Hoenn. Stupid Johto.... worst decision of my life.... But still... he won! He won! _He won!

Her inner turmoil did not show on her face, and so it seemed to Max that her jubilance at the news of Ash's victory had gone on unabated. The look of happiness on her face at that revelation left him unable to drag her back to the ground and tell her the news that she had missed, that what had happened to Pikachu was under investigation. _I can't tell her_, he realized. _She needs this boost; she deserves it. Nothing's going to happen to Ash, and it'll just give her a worry she doesn't need._

And so May continued to cavort around with glee, unaware of the controversy beginning to take place in Sinnoh. Max felt a pang as he returned his gaze to the screen, remembering a promise that seemed as if it had been made years ago. _"One day we'll battle; I promise, Max."_

"Not that I have much chance of beating you now," he muttered wryly. "Still, I'll hold you to that promise, Ash. We'll battle one day... And I'll be training for it with all that I've got."


	7. Superchu' or 'A History of Pokemon'

**So, what do you guys think about the new internal layout of ? Personally, I'm not a huge fan of it at all. It looks classier in its style, but I just find it much harder to navigate around now. But then, I've always been a fan of tradition. Thanks to those of you who responded to my idea of a "Final Challenge Expanded Universe." I just need to finalize what ideas I want to be used and flesh them out a bit more, and then I'll send you the details. Thanks for responding!**

**We've got kind of a longer chapter here, and if you aren't a fan of history/the mechanics of the Pokemon World, you may find it a bit boring. But I had a lot of fun writing it, and I hope that you'll enjoy reading it too. Enjoy, and as ever please review!**

* * *

"Well... this is quite curious," Professor Oak frowned, leaning in towards the screen and examining the numbers that flashed up closely. Pikachu lay on a makeshift steel table that had been brought in for the examination, two electrodes attached securely to its red cheeks; the electrodes in turn were attached to a portable machine used to measure the strength and amount of electricity inside of an electric-type's body; Ash recognized it as being very similar to the one used by Professor Birch when he had first arrived in the Hoenn region.

"Yes, I quite agree," Professor Rowan rumbled, bending in for a closer look himself. "I've never seen anything quite like these readings before."

"What is it?" Ash asked anxiously. "Is there something wrong with Pikachu?" Cynthia clamped her hand on his shoulder and shook her head, pressing a finger to her lips to indicate that they should leave the two scientists to their task. Professor Oak, however, stepped back and contemplated Ash thoughtfully, still frowning a little.

"I'm not quite sure what to tell you, Ash," he said slowly. "I want you to know that I'm not going to try to hide any of this information from you; you have a right to know, as you're Pikachu's trainer. If anything seems murky that's because this subject, by its very nature, is that way. There are hundreds of different branches of Pokemon research that have yet to be delved into very deeply – let alone discovered – and this just happens to be one of them.

"The source of a Pokemon's power has always been a mystery, and one that has confused people for millennia. How is it that a group of creatures is able to use a variety of hidden and special powers, and yet we can't? Many ancient scientists and philosophers believed that it was simply because we humans hadn't unlocked our true potentials: I can't begin to tell you how many people have died trying to emulate flight like a Pidgey, or drowned trying to swim like a Goldeen."

"Samuel, I think you're diverging a little too much," Professor Rowan warned, turning to his colleague. "If you're about to say what I think you are I'd like to remind you that these scientific revelations are still very recent, and that there is a reason none of this has been published or otherwise made public. You swore the same oath that I did."

"It's necessary, Nanaka," Oak replied. "Ash has a right to know as it's his Pikachu, and I trust both him and Cynthia not to reveal any of this to another soul; not even Brock or Dawn," he added, fixing Ash with a stern glance. "In any case, Cynthia may already know; Professor Karashina is her grandmother, and she is the Champion."

"I do know," Cynthia said, ducking her head, "and I agree that you should tell Ash under the condition that he does not repeat this information to anyone else."

"Well... sure, I guess," Ash said, looking between the two Professors and Cynthia with bewilderment. "But why?"

"There's an old axiom you've probably heard of: 'history is destined to repeat itself'," Rowan answered. "In this case, it's a history best left lost in the dusts of time."

"I don't understand," Ash said.

"It's a long and complex story, and a lot of it is still unknown," Oak replied. "Most of this is based on our best guesswork, which I'd hazard to say is pretty accurate, but there's a good chance that isn't so. Ash, how long do you think we, humans as a whole, have lived on the Earth for?"

"I've never really thought about it," Ash shrugged. "It's not something I was ever taught when I went to school."

"That's because nobody really knows; the origins of humans – and Pokemon, for that matter – are a complete mystery, with the possible rare exceptions of Deoxys and Clefairy," Oak said. "But a few select people – namely the lead scientist within each region such as myself and Professor Rowan, prominent curators like Cynthia's grandmother, and eminent trainers such as Cynthia herself, know enough to make a rough outline of what the past was like. It's not a happy story, and not one that we feel the public at large should know for reasons that will become obvious to you.

"Humans have existed on this planet for more millennia then I'd care to count. Our species was the dominant one on the globe, and it was far more numerous than it is now. It wasn't always that way though; before us were many other creatures that were the dominant species, but over time their numbers dwindled and died, and they were replaced by another.

"Eventually, humans became the most widespread species on the planet, but it was different then what had happened before. Previously, the dominant species was simply labelled as such because they were the largest, the strongest, and the most powerful creatures of the time. When humans rose to this position, they did something that no other species had done before them; instead of living wild in the fields and forests, they created civilizations and technologies. Their populations grew and exploded to the extent that they actually affected the world; imagine, one species growing so influential that they shaped the world around them to suit their desires! And this was all before the first Pokemon appeared."

"That's unbelievable," Ash said, shaking his head. "That can't be true, it's impossible; a world without Pokemon?" He scoffed.

"It is what it is," Rowan rumbled. "We wouldn't be telling you this if it was false."

"It may all seem hard to believe," Oak added, "but I swear to you that every word of this is true. You're going to hear a lot that may seem to be lies, or otherwise impossible."

"Hundreds of thousands of years ago, there was a great calamity that befell the planet," Cynthia broke in. "We don't know what it was, but we can guess at what led to it happening. You see, humans were in a state of near-constant warfare. People died every day from the willing hands of others, and it happened all over the world. There was a constant state of fear. People grouped themselves into what were called nations and became extremely paranoid. To go from one nation to another you needed to prove that you were who you said you were, and you could only go for a short time."

"To put it simply, the planet was in turmoil," Rowan said bluntly. "It affected more than just humans; the very planet began to change and react to every destructive whim we could think of. Continents were altered and moved, other species were killed off at escalating rates as they came into conflict with humans or just got in the way, and even the air began to change. Have you ever seen a weapon, Ash?"

"Only a few times; most of them were used by Team Rocket when they tried to steal Pikachu, but they weren't exactly dangerous. Some froze us in place, or made us stick to the ground so we couldn't follow them. I've seen a few Pokemon Hunters with them though, and they looked dangerous."

"What you see Pokemon Hunters with are what were once known as 'guns'," Rowan said. "Their only use is as a killing machine, and they do it in an incredibly painful way. All those years ago – what we call the Pre-Pokemon era, or PPE – they were incredibly widespread. Some rare people didn't have them, but others had several. At one point there were probably more guns on the planet than there were people; and all of them were used to kill other people."

"That's... that's horrible," Ash managed to say, a rising sensation of sickness in his stomach.

"War got to the point where guns were no longer needed," Oak said, taking up the story again. "Some incredibly smart scientists collaborated together to create the ultimate weapons, and what would become the first four Pokemon: Regirock, Regice, Registeel, and Regigigas. Unfortunately for them, while they had the foresight to make the most powerful of the four, Regigigas, remain forever in a coma unless one individual had possession of Regirock, Regice, and Registeel, they neglected to devise a means to control those three. They went on a rampage and killed the scientists; unable to control them and unable to defeat them with their own weapons, the humans were forced to do what they were best at; trickery. They were devious enough to gather the three golems together and then they froze them in a cryogenic state. Believing this to be enough to stop them, they separated the three and carefully transported them to one of their only allies where they were to be sealed away, while they did the same with Regigigas, and warfare returned to much the same state that had existed beforehand.

"Eventually, one person decided to take matters into his own hands and used an incredibly powerful weapon against his enemies. Well of course it takes time for a weapon to go all around the world, but he didn't think about that. There was plenty of time for his enemies to respond in kind, and they did so almost immediately. A few lucky humans were forewarned about the attack, and they managed to escape and hide deep underground where they would be safe from the attack. As for the rest..." he sighed. "They were all killed. Every single human on the surface of the planet died, and most of the creatures that lived alongside them did too."

"It was years before any of the safe humans decided to risk coming to the surface," Cynthia said softly. "We can't even begin to guess how much time they spent hidden away; a year, a decade, a century, maybe even longer. What we do know is that the attack had effects that lasted for a very long time and made it unsafe to be on the surface. When they finally returned, they found the world has become a very different place. The land itself had changed from the attacks; entire continents had been destroyed and sunk below the waves, and new land had risen in other places. And to their horror, they realized that while most of the other creatures on the planet had been killed, some had survived at a terrible price.

"For while they were – generally – similar in appearance to their ancestors, their bodies had been altered in the aftermath of the attack. They now had the ability to communicate with words, whereas before they had done so in grunts and snarls. They could only speak one or two syllables however, and so their speech was still mostly unintelligible. Worse still, they now had incredibly special abilities, ones that no human could ever possess. Terrified, they fled to the sanctuary of the waves and adopted a new name for themselves; the People of the Sea."

"Wait... I don't get it," Ash said with a frown. "What were these special abilities? Why were the people so afraid?" Rowan and Cynthia exchanged glances, and Oak stepped in to answer.

"Tell me, Ash," he said, "have you ever wondered why it is that when you scan a Pokemon with your Pokedex, it tells you what kind of Pokemon it is? Vulpix, for example, is listed as the 'Fox Pokemon'"

"Well, yeah," he said, "most of the time I don't even know what it's talking about. Vulpix is a good example; just what is a fox anyways?"

"A fox," Rowan said, "is a type of animal that existed before humans wiped each other out. Can I see your Pokedex for a minute, Ash?" Ash rummaged in his pocket and drew his Pokedex out before handing it to Rowan. The Professor flipped up the lid and quickly accessed the Pokedex entry for Vulpix.

"Vulpix, the Fox Pokemon. Average size is two feet and 21.8 pounds. Vulpix are friendly by nature, and have a loyal disposition. There is a fire inside which never goes out; they periodically release some flames to keep from overheating."

"Fox Pokemon," Rowan said, enunciating clearly. The Pokedex whirred and beeped, and Rowan quickly handed it back to Ash. He looked at it and almost dropped the device in his astonishment. The image of Vulpix had been replaced with a sketch of a similar looking creature, though there were some key differences. For one thing this new image had only one tail, its eyes were smaller, and its snout was considerably pointier.

"The Fox. Estimated size of four feet and 20 pounds. No additional data is available," the Pokedex stated.

"What is this?" Ash asked, stunned. "I've never seen this before."

"It's a neglected feature of the Pokedex," Professor Oak answered. "The option has always been there for people to learn more about the type species, but nobody has ever really used it. It's become so neglected that in later models like this one, it's been made a hidden feature that is accessible by voice only. Most entries have only an image because there's so little known about this, but one or two do have some additional information. They were originally included for the benefit of those who wanted to know as much about the Pokemon as they could."

"But this thing... what is it?" Ash asked. "It looks so much like a Vulpix, but it isn't one."

"The animal that you see there is what all Vulpix originally were," Oak answered. "You see, while the attack destroyed most of the life on Earth, there were some that survived. But the attack was so devastating that it altered the very genes of the surviving creatures. Their physical appearances changed, they gained devastating new abilities, and every so often one of their unstable bodies would go under a transformation and they'd become even larger and more dangerous. They were the first Pokemon.

"Of course the surviving humans back then were terrified; in their time they had come into conflict with and damaged the lives of most species, and this transformation was only the icing on the cake. The first Pokemon remembered this all too well, and so they banded together and drove the humans away. They fled to what they thought was the sanctuary of the sea, and they remained there for decades."

'You have to understand that such an alteration to their bodies was an extremely unpleasant and painful affair," Rowan broke in. "Imagine a fiery poison running rampant through your body, changing your body and turning you into a completely different species. These Pokemon were angry, hurt, confused, and more than a little disorientated. They had no control over their new abilities to shoot fire, water, or grass. We still don't know how they managed to control their bodies; it was likely something that happened only over time as future generations were born and their genetic structures became more stable. Today, the most affected Pokemon from that time remains Eevee, which can evolve into one of several different forms depending on the type of radiation its body is exposed to."

"By the time humans returned to the land," Oak continued, "the Pokemon had mostly forgotten that they ever existed. We don't know how long they lived on the oceans; a century, maybe even longer. What we do know is that they decided to try and live in harmony with nature from this point on, and when they returned they destroyed all remaining evidence that they could find on how to manufacture weapons; though of course, some rare fragments escaped their notice. They began to try and befriend the Pokemon, and for the most part they were successful. The foundations for the society that we have today were started then.

"Naturally, there were occasionally still some dangerous conflicts, only this time Pokemon were used instead of guns. They were fortunately on a much smaller-scale than in the past though, and much less dangerous to people's health. Most of them were between neighbours, and on occasion between towns. The practice of fighting continued long after the feuds were settled, though it started first as a means of exercise for the Pokemon, then as a recreational activity, and finally as a sport which became the League battles you're familiar with today. The last and most dangerous of the actual conflicts were the Cyas Wars which ended several hundred years ago and involved factions from four of the five localizations of the time."

"I don't understand," Ash said, his eyes trained on the floor. "What does this all have to do with Pikachu?"

"What Samuel has done is give you a very long winded and unnecessary explanation of the past that only partially relates to the issue of Pikachu," Rowan said, looking at Oak with a frown. The Professor smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry Nanaka, you know how much history has always fascinated me," he said. "And besides, it was a good overview for what Ash is about to know; after all, it relates to the source of Pikachu's power, which is what we were discussing."

"The thing is, Ash, that nobody really knows how or why Pokemon got their power," Cynthia interrupted. "Our best guess is that the attack which devastated the planet all those thousands of years ago gave them those powers when it altered the animals of the time into Pokemon. No other explanation makes sense; they didn't have the powers before the attack, but they did after. The biggest mystery is why they got those powers instead of dying like most other species. Humans escaped relatively unscathed because they hid far underground, safe and secure from the danger."

"But even humans didn't get away entirely," Oak cut in. "They returned to the surface too soon – not that they had much other choice, mind you. We weren't affected nearly as much as the Pokemon were, but we were affected enough. The biggest difference is that our lives are now much shorter than they used to be."

"Say what?" Ash asked, snapping his head in Oak's direction.

"The average lifespan for a human now is about sixty years; which means that Professor Rowan and I are getting pretty close to the cut-off date," he said with a thick smile. "But before the attack it wasn't uncommon for people to live well into their nineties, or even reach a century."

"That's... that's unbelievable," Ash managed to say.

"It does seem pretty strange," Rowan agreed. "To compensate for the vast difference in the length of lifespan, our bodies develop, grow, and mature at a much faster rate than before, and society has compensated accordingly. For instance, young Pokemon trainers leave their homes at around age ten, but from the records we've managed to find from the PPE era we know that most humans didn't strike out on their own until they were around seventeen years old at the minimum."

"And of course, seventeen is the age where most people marry and start families now," Oak agreed, "which means that you should be starting to think about being a Dad, Ash; after all, you have just turned eighteen."

"There are people way older than me who haven't done that either," Ash protested. "What about Cynthia?"

"I'm only twenty-four!" the Champion spluttered. "That doesn't make me "way older" then you! And besides, I'm too busy as Champion to find time to settle down. Not that I wouldn't want to," she added, a wistful note in her voice and a touch of sadness in her eyes.

"Most people didn't get married and start families until they were in their mid-twenties, PPE," Rowan continued, oblivious to Ash's and Cynthia's discomfort. "Those are just two ways that our bodies and our society have changed to compensate for our shorter lives."

"I don't understand what this has to do with Pikachu's power," Ash said.

"Well... it doesn't really," Oak admitted. "But it's fascinating all the same, don't you think?"

"The thing is, Pokemon may have developed strange abilities in the aftermath of the destruction, but there is nothing that explains how future generations retained these abilities," Rowan said. "What we do know is that a Pokemon's true potential is rarely – if ever – fully achieved."

"Why's that?' Ash asked.

"A Pokemon at full power is the most destructive force that there is," Oak answered. "The first Pokemon realized that quickly when their abilities began to alter the land. The most destructive changes occurred in what is known as the War of the Super-Ancients; you probably know it as the war between Groudon and Kyogre, which was settled only when Rayquaza calmed the pair and separated them to opposite ends of the Earth. So the Pokemon all began to suppress their powers, as they feared that their unchecked potential could lead to them destroying themselves. For the most part, they succeeded.

"They were so successful that future generations were unable to access their full range of abilities, unless put under extreme circumstances of stress; and even then it was a rare occurrence for their true power to break out. It's remained that way to this day. But what happened today..."

"From what we saw Pikachu do today, and from the measurements we found in our examination, we think that during the battle Pikachu broke through those barriers that were erected all that time ago and used that unbelievable power to defeat Electivire," Rowan said. "It's almost too incredible to believe, but it's the only thing we know of that makes sense."

"So, does that mean Pikachu is supercharged now or something?" Ash asked with a frown.

"No," Rowan answered. "What we were able to measure was only the vestigial energy still inside Pikachu's body. Our guess is that when Pikachu was about to collapse and it heard Paul's taunting, it lost control. Determined to defeat Paul in any way, shape, or form, it delved into the source of its true power, a power so great that it took over Pikachu's reason and mental control. In essence, its body was controlled by the hidden power, though for some reason it still obeyed you, Ash; and the moment it sensed that Electivire and Paul were defeated, it allowed the barriers to return and it suppressed the power again in instinct, leaving only a few traces of vestigial energy in its body. The moment the glow faded from its body is when that would have happened."

"So why did Pikachu do that?" Ash wondered. "If it had kept that power, it would have been an unbeatable Pokemon in battle."

"No doubt," Cynthia agreed, "but keep in mind that to be such a way is against Pikachu's character. It strives to its absolute best for you; if it is always at its best and can never be defeated, then what is there to battle for? Besides, the power is exceedingly dangerous. Trainers often strive for their Pokemon to reach the pinnacle of their powers, but the suppressed inner energy can be lethal for a Pokemon; it overpowers and destroys their body from the inside-out. Pikachu was fortunate today in that the true power was present for only a moment; had it been for a significant length of time, it could have had adverse affects on Pikachu's health in the years to come."

"But because it was such a short time Pikachu should be okay, right?" Ash said anxiously.

"That's our guess, but there's no way to know for sure," Professor Oak said. "Most of this is completely unexplored depths of Pokemon science."

"Has Pikachu ever done anything like this before, Ash?" Professor Rowan asked curiously.

"Well... kinda," Ash said slowly. "When I was battling for the first time against Roark in the Oreburgh Gym, Paul was watching. He got up towards the end of the battle while Pikachu was on the field and made to leave; Pikachu saw that and exploded with a really intense electrical energy. I'd never seen anything like it, until today. It was only for five seconds or so though, so that shouldn't be anything dangerous, should it?" he asked hopefully.

"Remarkable..." Rowan said softly. "Ash, your Pikachu seems to have an incredible ability to reach into depths of power that few others can ever hope to find."

"Pikachu has always been particularly powerful for its species," Oak added. "I've noticed it from the moment that I bred it. Most specimens have a level of about 300 Pil, but my measurements have always recorded it between 340 and 360. When you compare that to a Raichu's 390, or an Electivire's 440... Of course those are only base powers, since training can raise the levels significantly, but for an untrained and unbattled Pikachu, 340-360 is really quite something."

"So where does this leave us?" Ash asked, feeling confused amidst all the scientific jargon. "Am I disqualified?"

"No rules have been broken," Oak said. "This is just one of those inexplicable mysteries about Pokemon. Neither you or Pikachu can be faulted for that."

"So I'm still the Champion?" he asked, a lightness beginning to creep across his heart.

"You're still the Champion," Professor Oak reassured.


	8. The Surprise Challenger

**Here we go, Chapter Eight! This may be the last chapter for a conceivable amount of time as I'm currently behind on several major projects, and this chapter came at the expense of some of those. I really need to work on my time-management skills...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"In third place, and victor of the consolation final, is Kaede of Lilycove City!" the Stadium commentator announced. A raucous cheer rose from the stands as the tall and beautiful aqua-haired trainer stepped from the crowd of League Participants and approached Mr. Goodshow, who waited at the centre of the field with three trophies at his side. She shook his hand and accepted the figurine he proffered her before turning and raising it over her head in a seemingly joyous reaction to the prestigious position she had achieved. Yet as she lowered her prize and stepped onto the makeshift podium set up on the grass her gaze caught Ash's, and he detected the sadness and disappointment within them.

_It must be hard_, he reflected as they looked at one another, to have come so far and made it so close. _She told me before our match that this would be her last professional tournament, the last region she would travel around challenging Gyms in. She must be really upset to have come so close to beating me before losing again. I should probably go and say something to her afterwards; she's been a true friend through this tournament, since we accidentally ran into each other on the day of registration. I have to at least say goodbye to her._

"In second place, and qualifier for the finals, is Paul of Veilstone City!" the commentator roared. Paul stepped forwards unsmilingly to a much more muted reception, his clenched fist shaking slightly. Ash averted his eyes so that he would not have to watch as Paul accepted his trophy and stepped onto the podium, so that he could avoid the grimace of hatred that he knew Paul would send his way. He chose instead to focus his attention instead on the darkening night sky and on the Stadium, which had received an amazing repair job in the relatively short time since the battle.

Following Professor Oak's and Professor Rowan's examination of Pikachu and his 'brief' history lesson, it had been announced by the officials that the awards ceremony and consolation final would be postponed until the next day in order to allow engineers, electricians, and other forms of repairmen to patch up the Stadium as best they could in order to make it safe for both the battlers and the spectators; though Ash guessed that their decision was based mainly so that the short-circuits in the broadcasting system could be replaced so that the organizers would not lose too much revenue from their inability to transmit the battle and the award ceremony.

"And in first place! The winner of this year's competition and the new Sinnoh League Champion: Ash of Pallet Town!" Ash instantly snapped back to reality and, detaching himself from the throng of Participating Trainers, stepped forwards and began to cross the grass under the thunderous roars from the crowd, Pikachu situated on his shoulder, as ever. A wide grin stole across his face as the words replayed in his mind and intermingled with the delighted audience. _The new League Champion._ It seemed as if he had waited forever to hear those words.

"Congratulations, Ash," Mr Goodshow smiled as Ash came to a halt in front of him. "You know, this is really quite something. I knew from the day I met you that you were an unusual trainer who had the potential to win it all; every year I watched your matches, expecting you to win the title. This is the realization of your dreams, my boy. You didn't waver in a single battle, and you worked with your Pokemon in a way that I have rarely ever seen before. You truly deserve this victory; congratulations, Ash."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Goodshow," Ash smiled, accepting the older man's hand and shaking it. "This feels incredible; I can't even begin to describe it."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll find a way once it's sunk in and you've had some time to think about it. That or when the press starts asking you about it, whichever comes first." Ash's grin grew wider, and he let go of Mr. Goodshow's hand in order to accept the large and heavy trophy that the President of the League moved to hand him.

"By the way, Ash," he said, dropping his voice so that neither Paul nor Kaede could overhear him, as several professional photographers moved in to capture the historic moment, "once the ceremonies are concluded I'd like you to come to my office for a meeting. We have some things to discuss. Cynthia will show you the way so you can avoid the press; for now. Brock and Dawn are welcome to come as well; I'd expect nothing less from his two biggest supporters here in Sinnoh," he added, forestalling Ash's unspoken question.

"Sure thing," Ash nodded as Mr. Goodshow released his end of the trophy, enabling him to take his place on the podium between Kaede and Paul. He shook Kaede's hand in congratulations and gave her a quick, conciliatory pat on the back as she smiled wanly in response. Paul turned the other way as Ash began to rotate in his direction, and so Ash chose to ignore him as he raised the massive statuette into the air to the evident delight of the crowd, though he noticed with a grin that Paul's palm still showed signs of a burn from Pikachu's electrical discharge. He turned on the spot, enabling everyone to get a glimpse of his delighted face; at one point, Kaede also turned and threw an arm around Ash's shoulder in a surprise gesture as she raised her third-place trophy into the air, giving several unexpected fans a dream photograph of the first- and third-place finishers celebrating together.

Paul ignored them all, his closed eyes inclined downwards with his head and his arms folded across his chest, immobile and seemingly unaware of the fervour that surrounded his every direction.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let's hear it once more for your top-three finishers in this year's Sinnoh League!" the commentator screamed, his last words nearly drowned out by the enthusiasm of the audience. Ash waved enthusiastically once more at the crowd before turning his attention to the 256 trainers who had qualified for this year, the majority of whom had been knocked out in the preliminaries that were needed to narrow the field down to the 64 people who would battle within the Stadium. Though hindered by the size of the gathering and the dazzling lights that shone from behind them, he was able to make out and wave at Jimmy, who he had beaten in the quarter-finals, Jun, who had lost his own quarter-final match against Kaede, Nando, who had made it to the round of 16 before losing easily to Paul, and Alan, who had lost to Nando in the round of 32.

The next hour passed before him like a blur; the fireworks celebrating his victory; his being allowed to bring onto the field all of the Pokemon he had used in the League thanks to a special permit signed by Mr. Goodshow before they all posed for a group photo that would be preserved in the annals; the dimming of the Flame of Moltres which was recaptured in the torch that normally housed the sacred symbol of the League, ready to be used for next year's tournament; and finally, his being led off of the field at the head of a procession which included all of the participants, officials, and Cynthia.

The majority of the trainers were led straight through the walls of the Stadium in a passageway that would lead them straight to the main foyer, though Cynthia bade Ash, Paul and Kaede to follow her down a side passageway into a small but exquisitely furnished room. The Champion of the Elite Four closed the door behind them and settled herself comfortably in a plush armchair, indicating that they should do likewise; Ash and Kaede sat next to each other at the centre of the sofa opposite her, though Paul deigned to join them and chose instead to perch himself on the edge of the armrest at the end of the couch that was furthest from Ash.

"Well," Cynthia said as she crossed her legs with a smile, "this is quite the momentous moment, isn't it? Champion meets Champions!"

"Champions?" Kaede repeated in confusion. "I don't understand; Ash is the one who won. He's the only Champion in this room, apart from you."

"Not exactly, though it's a very common misconception," Cynthia said. The door flew open and a Mr. Mime swept into the room merrily, carefully holding a tray that had four glasses of ice-cold water on it. Handing one glass to each of the occupants, it let loose a happy cry of "Mime" and left the room as suddenly as it had come. Cynthia chuckled and took a sip of her water, closing her eyes at the cold, cleansing feeling of the liquid running down her throat.

"What do you mean exactly?" Kaede asked, jolting Cynthia back into the present as she took a sip of her own water.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Well you see, most people don't realize this but whenever there is a League tournament more than one person is given the rank of Champion. Only one person can win it, but the top 3 are all counted as Champions due to the incredible talent that they portrayed."

"Why?" Paul asked. "Calling somebody other than the winner a Champion seems kind of pointless to me."

"It's always been the stance of the League; just not a heavily publicized one," Cynthia replied. "The way the League sees it, any one of you three could have won the Championship even though only one did. It's true that in official records and documentations Ash will be recognized as the only Champion for this year, but the League recognizes that any one of the top three could have had those honours. So in a moral sense, the first two runner-ups are also seen as unofficial champions of the tournament."

"So what does that mean for Paul and I?" Kaede asked. "We're not Champions, but at the same time we are? That doesn't make much sense."

"Officially, Ash is the only Champion," Cynthia explained patiently. "However, because of your accomplishments, you and Paul are recognized as unofficial Champions. Now that may not do much for your egos" – she looked briefly at Paul who continued to gaze at her coolly – "but it means one very important thing."

"Let me guess," Paul snorted, "Kaede and I can both take the Elite Four Challenge as well, right?"

"Yes, actually," Cynthia said, surprised.

"Say what?" Kaede asked, her jaw dropping.

"Forget it," Paul growled. "I'm not going for it."

"You earned the honour, Paul," Cynthia said. "You don't have to deny it to yourself because you placed second instead of first. It's obvious you have the capabilities to challenge."

"I came into this League to win... among other reasons," Paul said coldly, soliciting a surprised glance from Ash who thought he knew what one of those additional reasons might be. "Second place means nothing to me. I didn't enter to take on the Elite Four; I know I can beat them, and you Cynthia, but it would mean nothing to me if I did. Besides, I have other plans to occupy myself with for the time being." He slid off of the sofa's armrest and walked over towards the door, placing his untouched drink on a table.

"Thanks, but no thanks," he said, his back turned to them. "It just isn't worth my time when I have better things to work for." He opened the door and left the room, leaving a slightly stunned Cynthia staring after him as he shut the door.

"That was unexpected," she said.

"I'm really not all that surprised," Ash said, holding his head in his hands with a sigh. "That's just the way he is."

"Still, to turn down an opportunity to battle the Elite Four..." Cynthia wondered. She gave herself a mental shake and turned her attention to Kaede. "How about you?" she asked. "I'm almost positive that Ash will accept, but what will you do? Do you want to take on the challenge?"

"Well... I'm not really sure," Kaede said hesitatingly. "I'd love the chance to take on the Elite Four, but... I just don't think I'm strong enough to do it."

"Come on, Kaede, it'll be fun," Ash said encouragingly. "We can even train together, if you like. Two of the best working together to get stronger; they won't stand a chance!"

"Well, maybe," she said, a reluctant smile at his enthusiasm crinkling the corners of her lips. "But I said that the Sinnoh League would be my last tournament, remember?"

"Just think of it as an extension of the Sinnoh League," Ash said. "Besides, if you'd won the League I doubt you'd be thinking about it like this."

"Well, maybe..." she said again.

"Tell you what," Cynthia said, "Ash and I have a meeting with Mr. Goodshow in his office about this; why don't you come with us and make our mind up then once you've heard more about it?"

"Well... okay, I guess that sounds good," Kaede agreed.

"Great," Cynthia smiled, "let's go then." She stretched and got to her feet, placing her half-empty glass on a folding table at the side of her chair, and began moving towards the door, Ash and Kaede following her lead.

Seconds after they left the room, the Mr. Mime poked its head back around the door. "Miiiime," it chanted as it picked up the four glasses and finished the water inside of each before wiping the condensation marks off of the two tables. Gathering the empty glasses up in one arm, the Mr. Mime took a quick poke around to make sure everything was to its satisfaction and, seeing that it was, left the room with another joyous cry of "Mime!"

* * *

Ash followed Cynthia through an oaken doorway several flights up from the Stadium and looked around the room in amazement. This place was no less exquisite than the first room Cynthia had taken them too; it was even more so, if anything.

"Ah, Ash, good to see you so soon," Mr. Goodshow said from behind a polished mahogany desk in the centre of the room. He smiled and indicated the plush chairs that were arranged in a semi-circle to face his desk. "Sit yourself down; we have a lot to talk about." Ash nodded and hesitantly moved forwards, almost afraid to walk on the thick and luxurious dark-green carpet. He sat down in a chair next to Cynthia, who had already made herself comfortable, and it was only then that he realized Brock and Dawn were sitting across from him, Professors Rowan and Oak on either side of them. And in between Professor Rowan and Cynthia was, to his surprise, Scott. Once he saw that Ash and Kaede were both settled in their chairs, Mr. Goodshow opened his mouth to speak again.

"Congratulations, Ash!" Dawn burst out. "You totally beat Paul; it was amazing!" Professor Rowan coughed slightly and Dawn blushed, looking apologetically towards Mr. Goodshow who smiled benignly in response. Ash also grinned, realizing that this was the first he'd seen either Brock or Dawn since before the battle yesterday; it felt amazingly good just to be in their presence again.

Mr. Goodshow looked at Cynthia enquiringly. "No Paul?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"No, for some strange reason. Given that he challenged me to a battle the first time we ever met, I felt for sure that he'd have accepted but..." Mr. Goodshow nodded thoughtfully and looked towards Ash and Kaede.

"Well, at least we'll have two people undertaking the Challenge," he mused.

"No," Kaede broke in quickly, and Mr. Goodshow looked at her in surprise.

"No?" he repeated, and she looked away a little shyly.

"I meant... I just haven't decided yet," she said. "Ash and Cynthia both want me to, I think, but I'm just not sure that I'm up to the challenge. I want to learn a bit more about it before I make up mind, if that's alright."

"That's perfectly fine, though I will need to know by the end of tomorrow," he noted before focusing his attention on Ash. "You're here because you have accepted the Elite Four Challenge, right Ash?"

"That's right," Ash nodded. "I thought that becoming a League Champion was my dream, but ever since I found out that there was a level higher than that I've wanted to battle in it."

"Good. Well it's my job today to explain to you how the Elite Four Challenge works, Ash. So sit tight because this may seem like a lot of information to take in at once.

"As you already know, every region – Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh – has its own members of the Elite Four. The Elite Four are the four best trainers of the region, and at their head is the Elite Four Champion. Now, unlike the Elite Four there is not one Champion per region. There are four members of the Elite Four in each region, but only one Champion in the nation. This current Champion is Cynthia, and -"

"Who was Champion before her?" Dawn blurted out before immediately clamping her hands over her mouth. Beside her Professor Rowan gave an exasperated sigh, but Mr. Goodshow merely smiled.

"If I were to give you a full list of every Elite Four Champion we'd be here every day, so I'll just give you a condensed rundown." he said. "The Champion at the time Ash began his journey was Lance, and he was followed in turn by Steven, Wallace, and then Cynthia." He turned his attention back to Ash. "Over the years, the rules in the Challenge have varied considerably; this year, one of the bigger changes took place. Previously, a trainer had to win the League in their home region – in your case Kanto – before being allowed to take on the Elite Four of their region. Now, however, to make it more accessible to trainers who have clearly proven that they have the talent by not winning their home League, any League Champion is automatically eligible. In addition, in recognizing that people are able to take on the League from any region, the rules regarding who and where to battle have changed."

"How so?" Ash asked, interested.

"Instead of battling the four members from their home region, they instead battle one member from each of the four regions," Mr. Goodshow answered. "Having so many members to choose from also means that the Challenger now gets a choice in who they face."

"Who are all the members?" Brock asked, and Mr. Goodshow closed his eyes as he recited.

"The members from Kanto are Lorelei, Bruno, Agatha, and Koga," he said.

"Koga? The Fuchsia Gym Leader?" Ash asked in surprise.

"The very same," Mr. Goodshow asserted. "Do you know him?"

"Yeah, I beat him for the Soul Badge in Kanto," Ash admitted, and Mr. Goodshow laughed before continuing.

"Johto tends to change around a bit more than the other regions because of how close it is in proximity to Kanto," he said. "Most trainers seem to feel that the Kanto Elite Four has more prestige, so they don't stay members there for long. At current the Elite Four there are Will, Karen, and Jon. Bruno's also filling in as a temporary member there while we look for a fourth person to fill the ranks."

"I don't envy him," Scott muttered.

"The Hoenn members are Sidney, Phoebe, Glacia, and Drake, and the Sinnoh members are Aaron, Bertha, Flint, and Lucian, with Cynthia the head of all 15 current members," Mr. Goodshow concluded.

"How long do I have to pick?" Ash asked with a grin.

"By the end of tomorrow," Mr. Goodshow answered. Ash opened his mouth disbelievingly, but Kaede cut across first.

"Ash, we should each decide who we're going to face now so that no Elite Four will have to fight two matches in a row," she said. Ash stared at her for a moment, and then laughed.

"So you're doing it?" he asked.

"I am," she affirmed after only a brief hesitation.

"Excellent," Mr. Goodshow clapped. "And very fair of you, I must add, to choose different people. Unscrupulous challengers have deliberately gone for the same members in the past so that they have a better chance of winning. This is very fair of both of you, and it will make your victories all the better."

"But you should know one last important thing," Cynthia cut in. "You only have one chance at this Challenge; if you lose, you'll have to win another League to have a chance at rechallenging. You have to beat all four members of the Elite Four to reach me, and if you lose against even one of them it's all over. You'll only have one chance against me too, so make sure you battle your hardest!"

"We will," Ash and Kaede said together.

"Good," Mr. Goodshow said, "then you can take some alone time and figure out who you each plan to battle."

"I'd like to talk to Ash quickly, if possible," Scott interjected.

"Is it about your Battle Frontier?" Mr. Goodshow asked slightly derisively, and Scott sighed.

"I've lost track of how many times I've told you this, but my Battle Frontier is not in competition with your Leagues," Scott said. "It's a challenge for Trainers, and a sanctioned form of competition, but it does not attract the same kind of scope that the League does, and quite frankly I like it that way. It's a fantastic challenge for trainers, pitting them against some of the best in the world, but it in no way takes anything away from your Leagues. On the whole it's a much more private thing."

"I don't want to argue about this now," Mr. Goodshow said, brushing Scott's comments away. "Talk to him but don't take too long; he has some big decisions ahead of him that will affect the next few years of his life." Scott sighed and leaned across to Ash.

"You still want me to become a Frontier Brain?" Ash asked, pre-empting him.

"Yes," Scott admitted, "have you had any more chance to think about it since we last talked?"

"Well, not really, I've been a little busy," Ash admitted, thinking about his battle with Paul. "It is something that I'd like to do, but only after the Elite Four Challenge."

"That won't be a problem," Scott reassured him. "We have plans for the Battle Colosseum all marked out; and it will be the ultimate battling facility, if I may brag! It'll take a few years to build and refine, so you don't need to worry about any time issues; I told you before that Spenser will stay on as head of the Battle Palace until you're ready to become the seventh Frontier Brain. You'll have an Ex-Dex and we can build it wherever you want."

"How about just outside of Pallet Town?" Ash asked immediately, and Scott smiled.

"I have the perfect place in mind, about halfway between Pallet and Viridian City," he said. "So how about it; once you've finished the Elite Four Challenge, will you become the seventh Frontier Brain?"

"Now hang on; what if Ash wins it?" Mr. Goodshow argued. "He can't be a Frontier Brain _and_ Champion of the Elite Four."

"Of course he can," Cynthia laughed. "Being Champion isn't as busy as you may think; most of my time is spent training. Don't let your petty rivalry with Scott impact Ash's choice in this."

"Thank you, Cynthia," Scott smiled. "Ash?"

"I'll do it," he agreed. "It'll be nice to finally be able to settle down and stop travelling; and to be with all of my Pokemon again."

"That's the spirit," Scott smiled.

"Yes," Kaede agreed, "now come on Ash! We need to figure out who we're facing!"

"Right," Ash nodded. "Where should we go?"

"There's a room across the hall with a computer terminal," Mr. Goodshow said. "You can use that. I'll be in here once you've both chosen."

"Right, thanks," Kaede nodded, leading Ash out of the room.

"Congratulations again, Ash!" Dawn called as the door closed. She suddenly sighed and sank back.

"What's wrong?" Brock asked, surprised at her sudden sadness.

"I guess now we'll all go our separate ways," she said. "Ash is off to train for the Elite Four, and he won't be doing too much travelling while he's focused on that, and you're going back to Pewter City. The only people I've ever travelled with have been you guys; it's going to be strange going it on my own."

"You'll still see us," Brock reassured. "You've competed in Sinnoh, so why not try out the Kanto contests next? I'll be in Pewter for a while, and Ash will probably be near Pallet; I'm sure you'll be able to see us both fairly often, and you'll always be welcome to visit me at the Gym."

"That's true Brock, and I think I will do that, thanks," Dawn said gratefully. "Still, it's going to be really strange."

"It will be for all of us," Brock said. "I'm not used to spending long periods of time at home now that my Mom and Dad are both home again. I'll probably just stay there long enough to fix whatever decorating fiasco my Mom's come up with before leaving again. I may bring Ludicolo with me when I leave too; she's a really bad influence on it."

"When are you going back?" Cynthia asked him.

"In a few days or so when Ash does, I guess," Brock shrugged. "I'm sure Dawn will come with us as far as Twinleaf Town, and then it's off to Kanto and back home. It'll be good to see all my brothers and sisters again; I wonder if Forrest has managed to keep them all in line while I've been gone."

"So long as he isn't like his brother and gets distracted every time a pretty girl walks past," Dawn jibed, and Brock grinned as everyone in the room roared with laughter at their various memories of his romantic escapades.

"One day,' he promised, "one day I'll find her again."


	9. Selection

**I know, I know, I know I keep saying that this is the last chapter for a while to come. But this one really is. And besides, it's only a short chapter (the shortest one so far). Still, enjoy!**

* * *

"Okay, so we're going to battle regions in each order so that we can train together for as long as possible," Ash noted.

"Right," Kaede said, "and the order we've agreed on is Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and then Cynthia."

"That's pretty much the same order I travelled in," Ash said with a smile before jumping to his feet. "Oh man, I can't wait for this! It's going to be so great!"

"Easy," Kaede said with a smile, "we still have to finalize who we're facing off with. "So, you've chosen Karen for Johto, and Lucien for Sinnoh."

"Right," Ash nodded, "and you've chosen Drake for Hoenn and Bruno for Johto." He sighed. "Man, I really wanted to take on Drake. Taking on those dragon-types... now I don't know who to choose from Hoenn." Kaede grinned and turned back to the computer monitor.

"Sorry Ash, but he's supposedly the strongest member of the Elite Four in Hoenn, and he is from my home region. You get first choice in Kanto though, like we agreed."

"But I can't choose Bruno because you've chosen him for Johto," Ash pointed out. "We promised we wouldn't select the same members, remember?"

"That's true..." she muttered, getting lost in thought as she browsed through the profiles of the Hoenn members of the Elite Four. Then her face brightened. "Hey, Ash, for your battle against the Hoenn member... how about Glacia?"

"Glacia?" he asked with a frown. "Who's she? I've never heard of her."

"She specializes in ice-types," Kaede answered. "I had an exhibition match against her before the Hoenn League, and she dominated me. She's an incredibly strong trainer."

"She sounds like a perfect match-up," Ash said with a grin. "Put her name down in my column for me, okay?" Kaede nodded and pencilled in Glacia's name on the sheet of paper under the Hoenn header on Ash's paper. "So then," he said once Kaede had finished, "I guess for Kanto I'll battle against Agatha."

"Why's that?" she asked curiously. "Well I've already battled and won against Koga, even though it was a long time ago," he said. "I can't choose Bruno because you have him for Johto, and I know that Lorelei uses ice-types too. So that leaves Agatha."

"That sounds good," Kaede agreed, writing down Agatha's name too. She sighed and looked back at the monitor. "Let's see..." she muttered, "Bruno specializes in fighting-types, and drake is a Dragon-master. What do you think, Ash? Lorelei or Koga for my Kanto match-up?"

"Hmm... how about Koga?" he asked. "The only reason that I don't want to battle him is because I've already done that. But he has an interesting style that could be a bit of a challenge."

"Lorelei it is then," Kaede said with a laugh, writing down Koga's name on her paper. "That only leaves Sinnoh to choose from."

"Well, I've never met Bertha, but Aaron and Flint are both really nice people," Ash ventured. "Aaron uses bug-types, and Flint uses fire-types."

"Oh yeah, I remember meeting Flint too," Kaede said. "I think I might battle him; Koga uses poison-types, and that might mean I battle some of the same Pokemon if I were to choose Aaron."

"So we're both decided then?" Ash asked. "Agatha, Karen, Glacia, and Lucien for me, and Koga, Bruno, Drake, and Flint for you?"

"That sounds right," Kaede agreed, looking at the clock on the wall and seeing that it was 2:11 in the morning. "What do you think, should we tell Mr. Goodshow right now?"

"He's probably asleep by now," Ash said, also glancing at the clock. "We may as well go in the morning, when he's awake and we're not quite as tired. There are beds against that wall; we may as well there for tonight so that we don't have to wake up Nurse Joy at the Pokemon Centre."

"Okay," Kaede said, "but you'd better not even think of peeking while I change!"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Ash promised, hiding a grin as he pictured Brock's gormless expression at learning he had slept in the same room as Kaede.

* * *

"So, you've both chosen to battle in the same order?" Mr. Goodshow asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's right," Kaede nodded. "We'll battle in the same order of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. It's just more convenient, being able to train together for that much longer."

"Well, I suppose that make sense," Mr. Goodshow murmured, turning to look out the window onto the battlefield of the Sinnoh League Stadium, and the scores of work crews that were continuing the repairs on it. "How's this, then," he said suddenly. "You're both aware that battles against the Elite Four are televised live to all of the regions, right?"

"Yes," Ash said, while Kaede nodded.

"Well then, how about I arrange it so that you both battle in the same location?" he asked. "Depending on the rules that the Elite lays down, we can schedule the battles to take place immediately after each other, or on two different days. It will be more convenient for us as well, and I'm sure it will thrill the crowds more."

"That sounds good to me," Ash said.

"Me too," Kaede agreed.

"Excellent," Mr. Goodshow said. "Then it's settled. Your first matches will be in three months time at the Indigo Plateau. Ash, you will be battling Agatha first, and Kaede will follow up with her match against Koga. I'll contact both of them this afternoon to let them know about their challenges."

"This is going to be so great!" Ash said with a massive grin.

"Calm down," Kaede smiled. "Aren't you going home first?"

"Hey, yeah," Ash realized. "I've got to pay a visit to Mom, and see all of my old Pokemon again!"

"Well, tomorrow I'm going to leave to pay a quick visit home to Lilycove City and tell my family the good news," Kaede said with a smile. "I'm sure they'll be proud of what I've done. At least, I hope they will be."

"Huh? Why wouldn't they be?" Ash asked.

"Oh, no reason," she said quickly before changing the subject. "When are you going home?"

"Today or tomorrow, I guess," he answered. "It'll take a few days to get to Twinleaf Town, and then a bit longer by ship to get to the north coast of Kanto. There's a blimp I can take to Pewter City, and then it's only two days walking distance back to Pallet Town."

"Pallet Town; that's where Professor Oak lives, right?' Kaede asked. Ash nodded and she continued. "Should I just meet you there then?" she asked. "I know it isn't too far from the Indigo Plateau, and it'll be easiest if we meet there, I think."

"That sounds good to me," Ash nodded.

"Sounds like you two have a plan," Mr. Goodshow said. "Best get to it then and start planning properly."

"Right," Kaede nodded, recognizing the dismissal. "Come on, Ash; let's go find your friends."

"Okay," Ash said. "Bye Mr. Goodshow; and thanks!"

"No problem," Mr. Goodshow replied to the closing door. It clicked shut and he sighed.

"This is going to be a lot of work," he sighed. "I love my job, but I really hate the paperwork..."

* * *

"_What?_" Brock nearly screamed, earning a frown from the passing Nurse Joy who was on her way back to the reception. "_You slept in the same room as Kaede?_ You lucky little-"

"Oh please," Kaede cut across, rolling her eyes as she scooped up some pasta on her fork. "It was a convenience thing. We didn't want to disturb Mr. Goodshow, and we didn't want to wake up either of you or Nurse Joy. There were two beds in the room, so we decided just to crash there."

"It's no different than sleeping with May or Dawn," Ash shrugged as he took a bite of his own meal, earning several incredulous stares at his choice of words.

"I hope that isn't insinuating what I think it's insinuating," Kaede said coldly.

"So do I," Dawn said, giving him a glare.

"Huh? What did I say wrong?" Ash asked confused.

"Oh Ash, you're so lucky," Brock moaned before either girl could respond. "Spending every night with Kaede for the next few years... having her sleep by your side... feeling her warmth."

"Knock it off!" Kaede shouted, jumping to her feet and smacking him heavily across the top of his head at the exact moment that his Croagunk burst from its Poke Ball and stabbed him in the gut with a Poison Jab.

"You think I'd... be immune to this... by now..." Brock groaned, stretching comically backwards before collapsing onto the floor with a pained expression on his face.

"Crow... crow... crow..." the Pokemon muttered as it grabbed his shirt and began dragging him out of the room.

"Uhh..." Kaede said, staring after them both.

"Croagunk's keeping him well trained," Ash observed, slurping up another bite. "So Dawn, we're leaving today?"

"Soon as we're finished this meal," she answered, avoiding his glance as she picked at her own plate. "No point in wasting time, I guess."

"It's been great meeting you," Kaede said to the younger girl with a smile. "I hope I'll see you again soon."

"You too, Kaede," Dawn said, returning the expression with a little more effort. "When are you leaving?"

"I'm catching a ship home to Hoenn tomorrow," Kaede answered. "It'll take a week to get home, so I want to get there as soon as I can. That way I can train as much as possible before my match."

"That sounds fantastic; and I do hope that we'll see each other again soon. When you visit Pallet, perchance?" Brock asked, abruptly reappearing to everyone's greatest surprise. He clasped his hands around Kaede's, and she recoiled involuntarily. "Oh my love, until the.... guh... uhh... gahh..."

"Crow... crow... crow..." Croagunk grunted, hauling Brock off for a second time.

"How does he recover like that?" Kaede asked wonderingly.

"I don't think even he knows," Ash said. "It keeps Croagunk entertained though."

"I'll bet it does," Kaede sighed.

"Ready to go?" Ash asked Dawn, noticing that she hadn't taken a bite for some time.

"I guess," she sighed. "Goodbye Kaede."

"Bye Dawn," she smiled. "Take care of Ash on the road to Twinleaf, okay?"

"Sure thing," Dawn nodded.

"Goodbye to you too, Ash," Kaede said, drawing him into an affectionate embrace. "See you soon in Pallet, okay?"

"Uhh, okay," Ash said, a little surprised by Kaede's gesture. He returned it gingerly before extricating himself gently from her touch. "Well... bye then!" To Kaede's astonishment, he dashed from the room without a backward glance.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Dawn said as she shouldered Ash's forgotten pack and noticed the hurt expression crossing Kaede's face. "He's just incredibly dense when it comes to that."

"Huh?" Kaede asked, staring in the direction Ash had gone.

"Never mind," Dawn sighed. "Have a good trip, Kaede."

"Yeah... you too..." the trainer from Lilycove muttered, lost in her faraway thoughts.


	10. Hurt from The Forgotten

**So, what's new in our world? Let's see... Top Gear's airing a new season in Britain, and the first four episodes have been hilarious. Feel bad for the Veyron though... What else... "President" (and I use the term lightly because he's not much of a leader) Bush is loosening restrictions on endangered species to make them die out quicker (just for the heck of it), anyone hear about that? U2's next album could be out as early as February (with the producers, who've worked with the band many times over the last 28 years) saying that it's the best material they've ever come up with. Sorry, but I'm a U2 fanatic (anybody ever pick out the occassional lyric I insert as a joke?) Hmm... what else...**

**Oh, and I got a 5-page essay and 15-page essay finished and handed in respectively, which means I can bring you Chapter Ten of _Road to the Championship_! I'd like to say that this means a more regular updating schedule again, but as I have yet another essay due Friday and a sequence of exams that will keep me occupied until mid-December after that, it looks unlikely.**

**On another note, I am now registered as a beta-reader for anyone who is interested. I may be a little busy for the next half-month or so, but I'll try and find some time to look over any work; you can find the details on my Beta Reader profile (available through the main profile for those who, like me last week, didn't know where to find that information).**

**Time to get on with the next chapter? Yeah, probably a good idea before you all lynch me. Enjoy!**

* * *

There was, quite simply, nothing quite like being home again, Ash decided. He bounced on his bed happily a moment before allowing the mattress to revert back to its typical form. A gleam from his desk caught his eye and he wandered over curiously, trying to recall what he had on there. His heart welled up at the memories.

At the centre of the desk were the results of his two greatest accomplishments prior to Sinnoh; his Orange League Championship trophy and the Battle Frontier plaque. He smiled as he remembered what Scott had told him, that he was still the only person who had successfully defeated all seven Frontier Brains. Scattered haphazardly around those two mementos were scores and scores of pictures; some he didn't even remember being taken. He saw Misty and Tracey, Todd, Jun, Morrison, Gary, Brock, Dawn, Vincent, Anabel, May, and Max. All of his Pokemon were in the photos too. Charizard and Squirtle, Bulbasaur and Bayleef, Cyndaquil and Snorlax, Kingler and Muk, Buizel and Corphish, Noctowl and Swellow, Sceptile and Gallade; even his oldest captures, some of whom – he berated himself for this – he had actually forgotten about. Pidgeotto... Butterfree... Primeape...

"I have to see them again," he muttered. "I have to at least try and catch up with them..."

"Pi?" Pikachu asked curiously.

"All of our old friends," he explained. "I don't know where Butterfree or Primeape are, but I'm sure Pidgeot must still be somewhere close..." His face contorted in anguish as he recalled all of the times he had been nearby Pidgeot since he had released it to protect the local Pidgey and Pidgeotto from a swarm of Spearow and Fearow. I promised to come back for it... I promised I'd see it again... It's been over seven years since I let it go... seven years of a broken promise...

"I'm going to go and find Pidgeot," he declared to a surprised Pikachu.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked.

"It's been so long, I have to see it again!" Ash explained. "I... I promised it I would."

"Chaah," Pikachu sighed, clambering up onto Ash shoulder.

"That's the way," he smiled, dashing from his room, across the landing, down the stairs, towards the door and-

"Hold it right there, young man!" Delia shouted, causing him to come skidding to a halt. "What have I told you all these years about running in the house?"

"But Mom..." he protested.

"No buts; you know the rules," she said, her arms folded.

"You know, I am a Champion now," he muttered.

"And I'm very proud of that, but while you're still under this roof you'll be obeying the house rules," his mother interjected sternly. She noted the abashed look on his face and her stance softened considerably. "Don't be late for dinner," she sighed, cutting her lecture short; Ash's face lit up.

"Thanks Mom; bye!" he shouted, springing out the door. It slammed shut, there was the sound of a crash and a cry of surprise, and Delia's Mr. Mime entered the house, clutching a broken broom and rubbing its head tenderly.

"Oh, Mimie..." she sighed. "I wouldn't be surprised if I woke up tomorrow to a phone call from Ash saying he was in the Frayen region; I really wouldn't."

"Mr. Mime," her Pokemon muttered in response, gently checking to see if any splinters were lodged in its scalp.

* * *

Johanna hummed as she edged out of the doorway and onto the porch, two mugs of hot chocolate in her hands. She paused when she observed her daughter, sitting listlessly at the table with a sad and faraway expression in her eyes. She sighed and moved over towards her, sliding a mug in front of Dawn as she did so.

"Why so sad, Dawn?" she asked, sitting down across from her.

"My whole journey I was with Ash and Brock," she said after a moment. "They taught me so much; I would never have done so well if it wasn't for them. And now they're gone, back in Kanto. Ash is in Pallet Town and Brock is home at the Gym." She lowered her eyes, and though Johanna empathized with her daughter's mood, she knew that Dawn had to be snapped out of it fast.

"So? Why so sad?" she repeated. "You met two great friends - not including your five Pokemon -, you learned a lot from them, and you made it to the Grand Festival. What is there to be upset about?"

"Because now they're gone," Dawn said softly. Johanna rolled her eyes and stood up.

"Right that's it," she said sternly. "Get up; I've had enough of this." Dawn looked up open-mouthed as Johanna marched into the house and promptly came right back out. She threw an object at her daughter, and Dawn was forced to reach out and catch it with closed eyes. Nervously she opened them a crack and realized with surprise that the object Johanna had thrown was her travel pack.

"Huh?" was all she could manage.

"Get in there," Johanna ordered, pointing towards the house, "fill it up, and get going. I don't want to see your sad face a moment longer than I have to. It's making me depressed."

"You're throwing me out?" Dawn asked.

"I'm getting you on the road to recovery. Literally," Johanna countered. "When you were travelling around Sinnoh you had the time of your life. But you've done nothing but mope since you got back home. You obviously won't be happy until you're travelling the world again, so hop to it! There's a boat ticket to Kanto in your pack," she added in a slightly softer tone. Dawn stared at her mother for a moment before nodding, a spark kindling in her eyes again.

"Alright, Mom. Thanks," she said as she passed her and went into the house.

"Don't thank me; just go and meet up with your friends," her mother called after her. As the door shut behind Dawn, she sighed and sat down, sadness in her own eyes now. "I'd love it if she could stay longer, but she won't be happy unless she's travelling around with her friends," she sighed. "Always on the move... just like her father."

* * *

Ash stood nervously in a clearing, Pikachu on his shoulder. He'd made a quick detour to Professor Oak's lab on the way to ask Tracey about Pidgeot. From him he knew that his old friend still lived in the general area, but was seen only infrequently with the last such occurrence being close to a week ago.

"_Is it still protecting the Pidgey and Pidgeotto from those Spearow and Fearow?" he asked._

"_Oh no," Tracey laughed, "You still see one or two Spearow around but they're nowhere near as numerous as they used to be. As for that Fearow, I haven't seen it in years; my guess is that moved to a safer forest where Pidgeot can't touch it."_

"Pidgeot's got to be around here somewhere," he muttered as he eased himself onto the ground. "I can feel it." He sighed and closed his eyes. The sun beat down on his face, warming him considerably, but he stayed in that position. This was the largest clearing in the forest, and he was sure that if there was any place he could find his old Pokemon, it would be here.

With his eyes closed, he didn't see the congregation that began to gather around him as the afternoon wore on. He heard them though; quiet rustles among the branches, a softly uttered chirrup or two, and a few leaves that gently brushed against his skin as they fell, though there was no breeze that could have dislodged them. Finally, he snapped his eyes open, sensing a body he had not for close to a decade. It would never matter how much time passed; he would always know an old friend, an old Pokemon from the way the air changed, from the smell in the air, from the palpable familiarity in his chest. He stood and turned slowly, unsurprised to see the vast number of Pidgey and Pidgeotto in the trees; he'd gone through only a short rotation when, out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed on a large, stout branch, the thick, sharp beak, the tan feathers, the long and beautiful crest that streamed along the back.

Ash and Pidgeot looked at each other silently, seven years of separation wiped away in this one instant. Tears brimmed in Ash's eyes as he recalled how, with the help of Caterpie and Pikachu, he had made Pidgeotto his second capture; how it had begun his comeback in the Viridian Gym; how it had brought him all the way back to Indigo Plateau for what was then the biggest match of his life; how it had evolved to protect the local Pidgey and Pidgeotto, and how he had ridden it as it decisively put an end to the Fearow's reign of terror.

"I'm back," he said simply, taking a step forwards. Pidgeot opened its beak but, instead of the delighted squawk he'd expected, there came a savage hiss. Pidgeot reared back and flapped both its wings menacingly; the force of the gusts surprised him, and he was driven back several paces by the raw power.

"P-Pidgeot?" he asked uncertainly. Pidgeot leapt off the branch and uttered a shrill scream of rage towards the sky. It focused its gaze on Ash, folded its wings, and dove straight towards him. From the speed, Ash knew that it was an actual attack; Pidgeot, his old friend, was trying to injure him, to drive him off. As he jumped out the way he chanced another look, and their eyes met. The flying-type's were filled with hurt and anger. He reacted instantly as it swooped upwards and looped around for another attack.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" he shouted.

"Piiikaaa-CHU!" Pikachu screamed, its cheeks crackling with electricity before a light golden field of electricity surrounded its body and shot in a zigzag motion towards the enraged bird. With a slight lift of its wings Pidgeot dodged the move easily, barely losing any momentum in the process. Ash let out a gasp of shock as the hooked beak smashed into Pikachu at what was close to Pidgeot's full speed. A cry broke from Pikachu's lips as it was thrown backwards into a tree.

"Pikachu!" he shouted.

"Chaahh," the electric-type gritted as it clambered to its feet with some difficulty.

"Try a Quick Attack!" Ash shouted, and his starter leapt into the air with blurring speed. Pidgeot gained some height, taking it out of Pikachu's range, and swept both wings down hard. The air compacted into two visible scythes that shot downwards at a speed even Pikachu could barely match. It avoided one, and then the other, but was unprepared for Pidgeot's follow-up, a devastating Aerial Ace that caught Ash by surprise; Pikachu was hit before Pidgeot's visage faded from mid-air.

"Only one choice left," he gritted, as Pikachu crashed hard at his feet and struggled to its feet again. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt with a spin!"

"CHU!" Pikachu roared, jumping into the air, and unleashing a powerful burst of electricity that split into several rays as it spun. Pidgeot squawked, caught by surprise as the attack encircled it, forming a makeshift cage around the flying-type that was barely wider than its wing-span.

"Now, Volt Tackle!" Ash ordered as Pikachu touched the ground and, cloaked in a powerful build-up of electricity that made its body visible only as an outline, Pikachu immediately shot upwards again. Pidgeot was helpless; surrounded by the vestiges of the Thunderbolt cage it could only grit its beak and wait for the powerful impact.

With a crash, the Pokemon hit the earth, eyes closed and body lancing with pain, streaks of static electricity coursing across its feathers. Ash was instantly at its side, cradling it in his arms and speaking in a voice that was both soft and reassuring.

Pidgeot's eyes snapped open and, with a squawk of anger, broke free of Ash's grasp and leapt back into the air. It had climbed a safe range of twenty-feet before it stopped and twisted back. The enraged eyes stared at him for several moments, generating feelings of disgust, hurt, and sadness inside of his body.

_I waited... I waited and you forgot me_, his old Pokemon seemed to be saying. _I can't ever forgive you for this; stay away from this forest; from me._

Pidgeot turned and flew away over the trees, in the opposite direction of Pallet Town. A stream of Pidgey and Pidgeotto followed it, none of them giving Ash and his exhausted Pikachu a glance more than was necessary to convey their own contempt. It was not for several minutes, when the sky had cleared, that Ash made a move.

"Pidgeot..." he whispered softly, falling to his knees with the tears taking all vision from his eyes.


	11. Plans

**Hey guys, shortest chapter yet I'm afraid. I have three exams in the next four days that I really need to study on, and I wanted to get this up before then since it's been a while since my last update. Poor length aside, I hope you that you'll enjoy the chapter. **

* * *

"One down, one to go," the burly man grinned, demonstrating on his fingers. "For a Gym Leader, you're really not all that strong; I expected more."

"One victory and you act as if you're the World Master," the Gym Leader sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "I have one Pokemon left to choose from, and that's all I'll need."

"Go on; send it in; no Pokemon you have can possibly defeat my Wartortle. Your badge is mine," he boasted.

"I wouldn't be so sure," the Gym Leader said with a confident smile. "Let's go! Ludicolo!"

"Ludicolo?" the man frowned, watching the Pokemon as it began to dance happily. "What the heck is that; I've never heard of it before. Ah, never matter; Wartortle, use Water Gun!"

"You need to get out of Kanto," the Gym Leader grinned. "Ludicolo, block that Water Gun with one of your own!"

"Ludi-ludi-colo," the joyful Pokemon complied, spraying a torrent of powerful foam at the Wartortle, which easily cancelled out the attack.

"Say what?" the man gasped.

"Razor Leaf!" the Gym Leader ordered and, dancing in a circle, Ludicolo shot a flurry of the razor-edged leaves towards its opponent.

"Waaarr," the Wartortle groaned as it fell.

"Wartortle is unable to battle," the referee ruled. "The winner is Ludicolo."

"How... how is that possible?" the man gasped as he recalled his beaten Pokemon. "How can a rock-type use water- and grass-type moves? How can _anything_ use water- and grass-type moves? It's impossible!"

"Not in the Hoenn region," the Gym Leader replied. The man stood there a moment, gnashing his teeth before he sighed and lowered his head.

"I've never come across anything like this before," he acquiesced. "I don't know what I'm going against, but nothing I have can beat something like _that_." He swallowed a moment before continuing. "I forfeit the match," he said. He turned and left, squinting a moment as the doors opened and the brilliance of the sun filled his retinas.

"Any luck?" a tall and pale woman in her mid-twenties with long raven tresses enquired pleasantly, surprising him.

"Ah! Oh, no, unfortunately," the burly man grimaced. "He's got Pokemon I've never seen before; I never would have thought a rock-type could use Water Gun and Razor Leaf! You here for a battle?"

"No; I'm searching for a person I have not seen for a long time. This Gym is one place he may be," the woman replied.

"Well, if you do challenge him you'd best be careful!" the man warned. The woman nodded slowly.

"I will," she said, striding past him and into the darkened gym. The burly man jumped slightly as the doors clanged shut behind him.

"She'll need a hell of a lot of luck," he muttered.

* * *

"Who challenges?" the Gym Leader shouted into the darkness.

"Must we all be challengers?" the woman asked calmly.

"Why else would you come to this Gym?" the Gym Leader asked. "I'll say it again; who challenges?"

"I do," the woman in replied. "I do not wish for a badge. I request an exhibition match; will you battle one-on-one with me?"

"One-on-one?" the Gym leader repeated, hiding a smirk though he could not see the challenger. "Alright then, if you want to lose so quickly!"

"I wish to battle the one who uses Water Gun and Razor Leaf," the challenger intoned, keeping to the shadows and ducking behind a stone pillar as the lights snapped on. "I hear it is your strongest."

"So, you want to battle my Ludicolo?" the Gym Leader asked, stepping onto the pitch. "I suppose I can do that... Fine, but I warn you now; I won't lose! Ludicolo, go!"

"Luuuudi!" Ludicolo exclaimed as it burst from its Poke Ball.

"Interesting..." the challenger murmured, examining the Hoenn-region creature as it danced before her. "A Pokemon that is not a rock-type in a rock-type Gym." She looked towards the Gym Leader and suffered a momentary jolt of excitement in her breast; it faded quickly, however, on realizing that he was not the person she was looking for. They were undoubtedly related though; this Gym Leader appeared to be several years younger, and the solitary emotion he incited in her was curiosity. A far cry from the raging desire that burned inside her whenever she thought of _him_.

"If you are going to battle me, then show yourself and reveal your Pokemon!" the Gym Leader ordered. "I won't face a challenger who hides from my face!

"Oh? I suppose I cannot battle in the darkness," she said, stepping forth from behind a pillar and into the light. "You wish for me to reveal my Pokemon? Gladly; come on out, Croagunk!"

"Crow... crow... crow..." the Pokemon muttered as it emerged, slouching over slightly.

"A Cowdunk?" the Gym Leader asked in confusion. He looked towards the woman and for the first time he saw her properly. The detailed objects in her vicinity seemed to fade into darkness as he looked upon her beauty; she seemed to be illuminated from behind by a brilliant light, and all notions of battling left his head. For how could he possibly hurt her feelings by defeating her, even in an exhibition match? She didn't give him time to figure it out.

"Croagunk, Poison Jab!" she ordered.

"Huh, what?" he asked snapping out of his reverie in time to see the glowing violet light descending towards his Pokemon. "Ludicolo, dodge and use Bullet Seed!" he countered frantically, trying to recover from his blunder.

"Brick Break!" the challenger issued, and, pivoting on the spot to face the Ludicolo's new position, the Croagunk's Poison Jab gained a shiny, silvery quality that danced about beneath the violet. A stream of the Bullet Seed shot towards the challenger's Croagunk and, seemingly effortlessly, the Pokemon drew back the Poison Jab and swung its arm forward; in a flash of white, the power and effect of the Brick Break perfectly countered the Bullet Seed and sent the attack flying back to where it came from, resulting in a grunt of pain from the Ludicolo. Quickly, the Croagunk charged forwards, the Poison jab still at the ready as it swung its arm down and delivered the dual effects of Poison Jab and Brick Break in just one hand.

"Ludicolo!" the Gym Leader gasped as his Pokemon hit the floor. "Get up and -"

"Your Ludicolo is unable to battle," the challenger proclaimed, recalling her Croagunk with a quick nod of thanks.

"What makes you so sure of that?" the Gym Leader bristled. "You aren't its trainer, you don't know its limits."

"It is clear to me that your Ludicolo can barely stand," she said calmly. "That is no fighting condition. And I would advise you to refrain from using your Ludicolo in further Gym battles; as this Gym is home to rock-types, the use of water- and grass-types is frowned upon by the League." She looked at the speechless Gym Leader a moment longer before turning away and walking out the door.

Brilliant sunshine scorched her irises, and she squinted a while as she waited for them to adjust to the light. _So near, but not near enough_, she thought. _What should I do now? It would appear that he has not yet returned, though I had thought he would arrive within the last week_. She pondered a moment more before deciding on returning to her room in the Pokemon Centre. _It is possible he has been diverted by his friends, or that he has returned and left again_, she mused. _Perhaps if I were to contact the homes of his peers I will be fortunate enough to learn of his whereabouts._

* * *

"I see..." Professor Oak said, bringing two mugs of hot tea over to the table having heard Ash's story. "So Pidgeot attacked you. I have to admit that I'm only partially surprised about that."

"Pi?" Pikachu asked, phrasing the question for Ash who had taken a deep gulp of tea as the comment was made, and who was now choking over the drink.

"Well, look at it from Pidgeot's perspective," Oak said patiently. "It's been what... six, seven years since you released it?"

"No," Ash said, shaking his head.

"It can't have been eight years," Oak said, sounding confused. "Are you sure?"

"That isn't what I meant," Ash said. "I left Pidgeot in the forest to protect the Pidgey and Pidgeotto, but I never officially released it. I still have the Poke Ball in my room somewhere, and I could technically recall it without having to capture it again, but I don't think that would be the greatest idea right now."

"A wise sentiment," Oak concurred. "But as I was saying; you left it in the forest quite a long time ago, and with the promise that you would come back to see it. Your Pidgeot took that to mean you would take it with you again on your next journey after you returned. Think a moment, Ash; in the years since you left Pidgeot, how many times have you been back in Pallet? And how many times have you had the opportunity to go and see Pidgeot and never done so? Is it really so surprising that Pidgeot is so angry with you?"

"I guess not," Ash muttered before sighing. "What can I do to make it up to Pidgeot and regain the trust and friendship that I've lost?"

"That's up to you," Professor Oak told him. "I can't tell you how to make it up to Pidgeot any more than I can tell you how to win a Master Ball in the weekly lottery. It may take a long time, but I'm sure you'll get there." Ash nodded slowly.

"Thanks, Professor," he said. "I hope so too."


	12. Reconciliation?

**So, umm... when was the last time I updated this? December 12th? Are you serious? Holy crap. I mean, I know I have a terrible record for updates, but geez... Sorry everyone. I seem to have slipped into a rut again (it happens this time every year; why is that?) Anyways, I'll try to get this updated again reasonably soon... but then with me, reasonably could be anywhere between 3 days and 3 weeks (if not longer). For those who read it, did you enjoy my short "_How did this happen to me?_". At least it was something new while you waited for this, right?**

**Hope you're all still reading.**

* * *

It was quiet, she thought. What should have been a forest alive with shaking bushes and the cries and calls of Pokemon was utterly silent; the only movement of vegetation now was caused by the wind rustling through the canopy, sending a wave of detritus swirling downwards. She shuddered at the eerie feeling it all gave off. _Where are the Pokemon?_ she wondered.

Without realizing it, she began to move far more carefully than she had been before; she probed every patch of forest litter carefully before resting her feet on it, taking care to minimize the noise her footsteps would make. Cautiously continuing forward, she moved at a pace so slow that that a land-bound Magikarp could have outstripped her. It was not something that she could help; her years of travelling through dangerous terrain alone had made exceedingly cautious. Unlike Ash, she had not been blessed with travelling companions every step of the way, someone she could rely on when she needed help. If she slipped and broke a leg, or suffered some other type of injury, it could potentially be fatal.

And so it was that she moved at a slow speed, the electrifying sense of danger increasing with each step. Her senses, already honed to their maximum from the years of solitary wandering, strained to the limit as she noted every moving shadow, felt every breath on the air, heard every slight sound that was made. As she passed beneath a tree her sense of trepidation caused her to halt, fearing to take another step. Closing her eyes briefly, she gave herself a mental shake and lecture. _This is one of the most peaceful forests in the world_, she reasoned. _There's nothing to be scared about in here, so get moving_.

A slight noise emanating from the bushes startled her out of her reverie; twisting to face it, she tripped over a root and was barely able to contain the shriek of fright that rose to her mouth. She hit her head hard on the ground and, stunned, stared unfocused through a gap between the ground and the leaves of the bush into a small clearing. It was several moments before she came to her senses and realized the position she was in. Grumbling under her breath, she was preparing to climb back to her feet when she noticed that, sitting in the centre of the clearing with his eyes closed and legs crossed, was Ash.

But he was not alone.

Low chirps and calls that she identified as belonging to Pidgey and Pidgeotto emanated from the clearing, growing louder and louder in volume as the time passed. The sense of danger that pervaded around her grew even stronger as she realized that the bird Pokemon sounded angry; she was fervently glad that Ash was well-protected should their anger grow to the point where they would attack. But then her eyebrows slanted into a frown as it occurred to her that nowhere in the clearing could she see the one thing that defined Ash.

Where was Pikachu?

* * *

Ash could hear them all perfectly well; he could sense their anger, and knew they wouldn't hesitate to attack him on a whim; surprising for what were normally such peaceful and shy creatures. But it wasn't that simple; they all knew it. They knew that he was here for one reason, and that one reason alone. And this was a dispute that was between the two of them, and not the horde of angry birds around him.

It was for that reason that he had left Pikachu at Professor Oak's lab with all of his other Pokemon.

For the first time since he had started his journey over seven years ago, he was entirely alone.

As he sat there, he felt rather than saw the shadow that passed over his head. Opening his eyes, he craned his neck upwards and there, circling above him, was Pidgeot. The bird moved slowly, examining every bush, every shadow, every slight disturbance in the plants carefully, for it too had noticed that Ash had no Pokemon on him. The eyesight of a Pidgeot was among the best in the Pokemon world; every detail was clear to its magnified eyes, and it knew every square inch of the forest thanks to its years of living there. If even one blade of grass was out of place, the Pokemon would know.

And so it was that, though it was aware of the not-quite-a-girl-not-yet-a-woman's presence behind the bushes, it paid her no heed as it continued its search; for it had been aware of and tracked her entrance into, and course through, the forest. Her presence there was pure coincidence, and as far as the bird was aware, she had no deliberate connection with the matter at hand.

Its search completed, Pidgeot swooped high into the air, gaining as much height as it felt was necessary, a raucous screech bursting from its bill. At the same moment Ash climbed to his feet, his arms hanging lightly at the sides. He was ready for whatever was to come, though he was certainly not looking forward to it.

The bird dove downwards as Ash waited to meet it, raising his arms in a welcoming gesture as he stared forward fearlessly. The wings tucked into Pidgeot's sides as it urged out more speed; already it was moving so fast that the eyes began to water.

And in the bushes, the unexpected observer stared in horror.

"No," she whispered. "Not at that speed..." She lunged upwards, her hand reaching towards her belt. Almost as quickly, a hand clamped around her mouth and dragged her back down. She tried to scream, but no sound came out from behind the flesh.

"It's okay," a slightly older woman's voice said calmly. "Ash knows what he is doing." Feeling her relax slightly, the woman released her grip and moved back.

"What the hell are you doing?" the younger girl hissed, turning to face her. The woman ignored her, watching the sky instead.

"Stay silent," she said after a moment, her long raven tresses blowing as a slight breeze started. "He does not need a distraction."

"But –" the girl began.

"Pijot!" the Pidgeot screeched, flaring out its wings as it reached the treetops; the joints shuddered a moment and then, inches above the forest floor, it shot forwards with most of the dive's speed retained. The girl opened her mouth to scream but, at the last second, the bird twisted and shot past Ash so closely that he could feel the feathers brush his cheek. Pidgeot climbed steeply upwards, its eyes scanning around the clearing again; it was obvious that, though it had already ensured they were alone, it had expected Pikachu to launch a sneak electric attack from the shadows.

But Pikachu was not there and, after only a cursory glance around, it dove once again.

From the speed, Ash knew there would be no second close-call. It had been years since they had last battled together, but he still knew this Pokemon. It was obvious enough to him that Pidgeot expected him to either release a hidden Poke Ball or dive out of the way. But he did neither.

This time the girl in the bushes could not contain her scream. Almost in slow-motion it seemed, Ash turned his head in her direction, his mouth falling open as he saw who was there. Blood ruptured from his body as at that exact moment Pidgeot smashed into his torso at speed, beak first. The girl's eyes widened and she screamed again as his body flew backwards and he smashed into a tree before crumpling into an immobile heap at its base, the blood pooling around him.

The girl crumpled to her knees in shock, unable to move at the sight of Ash's still body. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't think, she couldn't do anything other than see him lying there, unmoving. She had the terrible feeling that the world had just ended.

The woman was far more responsive; dashing out of the bushes, she ran past a lone Poke Ball that had rolled from Ash's pocket and was quickly at his side. Seemingly stunned at what had happened, the Pidgeot wheeled upwards before settling on a broken branch overhead. Using its wings, it tried to wipe the blood off its beak as it watched the woman flip Ash onto his back to check the injury.

"Broken ribs... five," the woman muttered, ripping off his jacket and testing his darkening flesh with her fingertips. "Hey! Girl!" she shouted suddenly. "What Pokemon do you have?"

"Wh-what?" she asked, not paying any attention to the question.

"What Pokemon do you have?" the woman repeated loudly.

"Golduck... Venomoth... Tangrowth... Walrein..." she answered hesitantly.

"Nothing useful," she muttered bluntly, but in a tone low enough that the girl could not hear her. A thought came to her, and she ripped off a strip of Ash's bloodied clothing. "Call your Venomoth," she instructed, "it can take a message to Professor Oak. Ash needs medical attention; if he doesn't get it soon, he could die. Are you listening to me?"

"So much blood..." the girl whispered, her face pale. The woman rose to her feet, turned back to the bushes, and hauled back with everything she had.

"_Ouch!_" the girl yelped, startled back into reality as she pressed a hand to her stinging cheek.

"Get out your Venomoth _NOW!_" the woman roared. "Do you want him to die? Snap out of it; we have to help him!" The girl nodded and reached towards the Poke Ball at her belt that contained Venomoth. The woman tied the strip of bloodied clothing around the Venomoth, but the Pokemon reacted more than coolly towards the person who had just hit its trainer. A few words from the girl later and it had shot into the sky, circling once to gain bearings before moving in the direction of Professor Oak's laboratory at its full speed.

"Now what?" the girl asked.

"We keep him alive," the woman answered, moving back to his side and inspecting the injury again.

"Will he be okay?" the girl asked.

"That depends on how fast your Venomoth is," the woman responded. "There is nothing more we can do with what we have; all we can do is keep him comfortable until help arrives."

"But will he be okay?" she pressured. The woman sighed.

"Once your Venomoth gets there, it will have to lead them back; they will know something is wrong from the bloody cloth I tied around its antennae, but they may now know what it is from. If they send a Pokemon than Venomoth will have to lead them back here, and then another trip back to the lab will be necessary. If they come by foot..." she sighed again. "I do not like his chances," she confessed.

"Errr..." a growling noise came from behind them. Both the girl and the woman froze before turning slowly. A Gallade stood only feet behind them, its blades crossed and extended. A dangerous look was in its eyes as it beheld them so close to the injured trainer.

"I know this Pokemon," the girl whispered as she eyed the shining blades. "I've seen it before."

"I'm sure you have," the woman murmured before directing her speech towards the Pokemon. "Noble Gallade," she began, clasping her hands together and bowing deeply. "I am honoured to meet one as virtuous as you. We seek your trainer no harm; we witnessed the accident and have sought to help him as we can." The Gallade inclined its head after a moment's pause, returning the bow. It retracted its blades most of the way, though not fully, and indicated that they should step aside.

"Lucy... Kaede..." a voice whispered croakingly. They turned to see one half-opened eye staring glassily at them, and though his lips moved no more sounds came out. His head lolled back again and Kaede made to rush for him, but Lucy restrained her quickly.

"No!" she hissed. "Gallade and Gardevoir have a very deep code of honour. They can sense when their trainer's are in danger and will not hesitate to protect them, even at the cost of their own life. To go to Ash now would be a serious affront; this is in Gallade's hands now, and it can do far more for him than you can." Kaede forced her muscles to relax and she watched as the Gallade stepped forward to Ash, touched a blade gently to his chin, and vanished, leaving only the bloody forest floor behind.

"Venomoth must have been going even faster than I thought it could," Kaede whispered after a moment.

"No," Lucy answered. "Your Venomoth is not yet there."

"What?" Kaede asked in surprise. "But then, how could the Gallade have known Ash was in danger?"

"Like I said, that is something they can sense," Lucy answered. "Gallade and Gardevoir are very difficult Pokemon to befriend, but once you gain their trust they are loyal and steadfast. Only those pure of heart can establish the deepest bonds. Ash and his Pokemon share such a bond. I do not know what has happened in their past, but they have come through it nearly inseparable. I would dare say that it rivals even Ash's bond with Pikachu. No matter where on the globe Ash is, his Pokemon will know his state of being, and it will be at his side if he is ever in deadly danger."

"So what would happen if Ash were to die?" Kaede asked hesitantly.

"He would grieve," Lucy answered. "He would grieve and never stop grieving, for he was unable to save his trainer's life. When you are willing to give your own life to save another, but fail to do so... it is a living death. Let us hope that it never happens."

"This is all that stupid Pidgeot's fault..." Kaede muttered, clenching her fists and looking into the trees where the Pidgey and Pidgeotto sat quietly. "Hey!" she said in surprise. "Where's it gone?" Lucy reached down and picked up the Poke Ball that had rolled out of Ash's pocket, eyeing it curiously.

"I could have sworn it was in its minimized state before..." she mused. "But then, I passed it so fast; I didn't exactly take the time to look at it. Hmm..."

* * *


	13. Author's Apologies

Hello everyone, and my apologies for the many delays in bringing up the next chapter. There are many reasons for this, and while I'm sure you'd rather read a story than an excuse, I feel as if I owe it to you all to explain the unprecedented length of delay.

Part of it is down to school. As this is my first year of University, I've been busy in a multitude of ways. Assignments due every other week, essays, a (so far fruitless) search for housing for next year, search for summer employment, and in the last month exams have kept me rather occupied. The good news is that I have only one exam left to write, which is tomorrow morning (though I hate having it on my birthday), but the bad news is that I'll only have one day off before starting my summer job, of which I have a reasonable amount of hours. So while I'll be a bit less busy than I have been since January (the last time I updated with a proper chapter), I'll still be kept running ragged.

Another part of it is that for some reason, I seem to lose my drive to write every winter. I'm generally most productive during the summer, but very little gets done from November to April. This year is no exception to that, though I can't figure out why I always seem to lose my drive at that time of year. This means that not only do I lose my drive, but I lose track of some plot points and details that need to be refreshed and rejuvenated in my mind. Sometimes I need to make up new ones in their stead. _Final Challenge_ suffered from this too; hopefully _Road to the Championship_ won't be affected as badly.

I've also been writing the third instalment, the sequel to _Final Challenge_ (keep in mind that this one is the prequel) at the same time, so while I may be working on a chapter for this story one day, I might be working on a chapter for the other story the next. Writing two stories at once is no easy thing, let alone keeping the details straight between them. But I want the final part of the trilogy to be completed before I start posting it up to minimize delays for it, and I think that writing it at the same time is the best way to accomplish that. I posted a sneak preview on another website, and judging from the feedback I don't think you'll be disappointed with that decision should you choose to read it.

I am currently working on the (real) thirteenth chapter, though progress is slow. I found that I'd put myself in a scenario I really didn't want to deal with, and when I've been working on this I've been trying to force myself to get it done so that I can move on to the next part of the plot which I really want to write. It really shouldn't take three months to write just over a page, but I've had to really force myself to get it done. Now that it's over, hopefully the writing will come easier to me. Hopefully. When I have time to work on it.

Those are just some of the reasons why this has been so delayed; there are more I could give, but I think by now you're probably tired of my excuses and would like for me to focus on the actual story. Fair enough. No worries, I haven't lost interest in writing it or finishing it. I'm just having a lot of trouble finding time to write it, and actually getting it down when I do have the time.

No promises on when the next chapter goes up, but I hope it's soon. When VG Cats updates faster than I do, you know there's something wrong!


	14. Dreams

**No way. It can't be. Is it? I don't believe it... it's an update!**

**Yes, I'm back (I hope). It's my first update since January, believe it or not, if you discount that apologetic note and that terrible April Fools chapter. Guys, I'm sorry. I won't repeat the reasons why (I explain it all on Ask the Author, accessible from my profile), but it's part writer's block, part declining interest in the franchise (which appears to be returning), and part motivational issues. To the readers I have left: thanks for sticking with me, and I hope to have another update ready for you soon. To the readers who have left: I understand completely, and I only hope that you'll forgive me.**

**On with the show...**

* * *

May lay listlessly on her bed, staring up at the ceiling with her hands underneath her head. As she passed by the room, Caroline sighed at the sight of her daughter. She had been home for a week now, and yet she had spent most of the time alone in her room. It was so unlike May that it worried Caroline a great deal. She knew only a few details of what had happened in Johto, but she didn't think that failing to qualify for the Grand Festival would bring her daughter down this much.

Holding the thin piece of paper clenched in her fist, she knocked lightly on the door to attract May's attention. She seemingly didn't hear and so she knocked again, this time more forcefully.

"Hi Mom," May said softly, inclining her head slightly to see who it was.

"Get up, May," Caroline said bluntly.

"What?" May asked.

"I said get up. Moping about on your bed all day won't do you any good."

"I don't have the energy to get up," May said softly, placing her head back on the pillow. Caroline sighed and tried another tack.

"Maybe you don't have the energy, but your Pokémon do," she said, moving forward to sit on the edge of her daughter's bed. "You haven't seen any of them since you came home, and they're worried about you. You should at least take a walk with them." May just sighed and closed her eyes. Sensing her daughter was in thought, Caroline stood up quietly and exited the room. She returned a moment later and threw several objects onto her daughter's bed. May opened her eyes again and looked at the five Poke Balls in confusion.

"Here, catch," Caroline said, swinging an object through the air. May looked up just in time and caught it on reflex. Even more confused she realized that she was holding her travel bag, fully packed.

"What's this for?" May asked her mom.

"If you want to sulk in your room all day, fine. But it's not going to happen in my house," Caroline replied. Striding over to her daughter's desk she picked up a tack and returned to the door, nailing the piece of paper she held in her hand to the frame.

"It's a ticket for a boat ride to Frayen; one way," she told May before the question could be asked. "Max has one too. The ferry leaves in three hours." Without another word she left the room, closing the door firmly behind her.

As her mother disappeared, May felt tears well up in her eyes. Didn't her mom understand how miserable she felt? Couldn't she respect that she needed time to gather herself back together after Drew's betrayal? Of course not, an inner voice whispered to her. You haven't told her any of this. She thinks it's all because of the Grand Festival.

I need time here at home, May argued. I can't go back into the world, I'm not ready. I need to be here.

This isn't your home anymore, the voice responded. It stopped being that the moment you left to start your journey. When you finish you'll settle down somewhere, whether it's in Johto or Hoenn, Slateport City or Petalburg City. You'll never live here again.

But I feel so depressed... I don't have the energy to travel the globe anymore.

You're depressed because you're bored and you have nothing to do, the voice insisted. You just don't want to go because you're scared that you'll run into Drew, and you don't think you can handle that right now!

May was about to respond but stopped, realizing how silly it was to keep on arguing with herself. Her fears may have been holding her hostage since she returned home, but her common sense was trying to rejuvenate her. She hoisted the bag, feeling the roughened and patched cloth under her fingers. Reaching inside she pulled out a pair of blue and white gloves. Her body shuddered as she pulled them slowly over her hands, feeling as if she was being reacquainted with an old friend. She stood nimbly, sliding into her shoes and buckling the bag around her waist. It was heavy and chafed against her skin, but it felt... right. She grabbed her favourite bandana from the bedpost and tied it slowly around her head, closing her eyes at the feel of the material on her hair and forehead.

The feel of the five Poke Balls on her waist was comfortingly familiar. Blaziken, Ledian, Munchlax, Eevee, and Squirtle... they were there by her side. Striding over to the door she yanked the ticket down and looked at it carefully. Stuffing it in her pocket she moved over to the window, looked at the ground two stories below, and jumped.

Max had left for the ferry several hours before, his Treecko and Ralts in the Poke Balls at his side. So he was not there to witness his sister's departure, as she called out Blaziken in mid-air, landed gracefully on its shoulder, and took off running for the port on the other side of the forest.

--

Ash groaned as he opened his eyes slowly. His vision was bleary, and his head felt strangely heavy. He tried to sit up but winced as a sharp pain lanced through his torso. Looking down he saw the heavy bandages wrapped around his bare chest. He groaned softly and lay his head back down, the memory of the incident returning. He saw Pidgeot diving towards him at full speed, felt the earth under his feet as he braced for the impact, and then it was all a hazy blur.

"Ash?" he heard a voice ask, and he rolled his head in its direction to see Kaede standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hey," he said in what he thought was a casual manner. Kaede winced; the false bravado was evident against the raspy voice and pained expression.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, and he managed a shrug.

"Well, I've been dead, turned to stone, fallen off several cliffs and dived out of a moving airship, so I'd have to say pretty good in comparison," he said, managing a smile. She smiled back and stepped aside to reveal Professor Oak behind her.

"All things considered, you should be fine," he said, stepping forward to check on the bandages. "You shouldn't move for a while, but your ribs will heal nicely and the blood vessels have clotted, so you won't bleed to death. I'm a bit worried about your head injury though."

"What head injury?" Ash asked, puzzled. He got his answer moments later when Oak smacked his head with his clipboard.

"Are you an idiot?" he yelled. "Going out into the depths of Viridian Forest all alone, without any Pokémon to defend you? You _knew_ that Pidgeot would attack you! You _knew_ that you'd be hurt, critically! _And you still went out there_?" His anger spent, the Professor sighed and waved off Ash's attempted rebuttal. "Well it's a good thing for you that Kaede and Lucy were there to look after you. Complete chance of course, but then that's how life seems to work for you."

"I knew Gallade would be watching me; he always is," Ash said, a little sulkily. "As soon as he sensed I was in danger, I knew he'd come to get me."

"And he almost decapitated Kaede while doing it," Oak responded. "Not to mention I almost lost my head when he brought you back here. Gallade may be incredibly noble and loyal, but yours is almost too much so. You wouldn't believe how hard it was for me to convince him to let me treat you. It was only when I suggested that letting you die when I could have saved you would be a great disservice that he relented."

"Where's Gallade now?" Ash asked, and Kaede pointed to the window.

"Patrolling outside," she answered. "Nobody can even get onto the property without asking for his explicit permission. And that includes all of the Pokémon." Ash half-chuckled and then winced as his ribs twanged in response. Pressing a hand to his side, he suddenly recalled the cause of his injury."

"Where's Pidgeot?" he asked them. Oak and Kaede gave each other a little half-glance, before pointing simultaneously toward the bedside table. Ash followed their gazes and his eyes alighted on a shiny Pokéball that sat innocently on the desktop.

"Inside?" he asked in surprise. "But how?"

"We don't know," Oak responded. "Lucy saw a Pokéball sitting in the dirt as she bandaged you up. It was maximized, so she picked it up to bring it to you. I ran a scan and sure enough, there's a Pidgeot inside. As far as I can guess, it must have fallen out of your pocket when it attacked you."

Ignoring the pain, Ash reached over and held the ball in his hand; turning it slightly away from himself, he depressed the large button in the centre, and the figure of a very morose bird Pokémon appeared on the floor. It looked up at him once mournfully before turning its head aside in shame.

"Pidgeot, look at me." Ash said softly, and their eyes met. "The pain I caused you these last few years with my broken word is inexcusable. I can't imagine how your heart must have broken when time went on and I didn't return. But now I know what that pain feels like, because you gave it to me. Thank you. I know how it feels, and I won't let it happen again. I'm sorry for what I did; please forgive me."

Oak and Kaede watched in silently stunned amazement as the flying-type nodded once, stepped forwards, and nuzzled Ash on the cheek. "I thought for sure he'd flip out," Kaede murmured quietly.

"Some trainers would, but never Ash," Oak responded. "He cares for his Pokémon too much, and he realizes that when they hurt, he is the reason why they are. He knows it is his fault, so instead of getting mad and making it worse, he tries to fix the problem. His methods may be unorthodox, but then that's his way. And often as not, they work."

Kaede nodded silently, her eyes fixed on the reunion between Ash and Pidgeot, her own thoughts far away with a hurt she had built up for years; a hurt she now wondered if she should have tried to heal instead.

And so the first few months passed. As Ash healed and began to train with Kaede for the Elite Four, May and Max left to begin their journey around Frayen together. Dawn arrived in Kanto and, eager to start her new Contest challenge, headed straight away to Saffron City. Lucy continued her search for Brock, and as for the trainer himself...

"You can't do this!" Brock protested as the bars slammed close.

"I can and I will," came the sharp retort.

"But,"

"Stop that sentence right there. Good day to you."

Brock sighed; it was obvious he would have no luck here either. Turning, he slowly trudged out of the bank, giving the fuming teller not even a backwards glance. This was his fourth rejection in a row from a pretty lady; and surprisingly, none of them were romantic in nature.

Now that Ash was finished his Sinnoh journey, Brock finally felt ready to settle down and pursue his dream of becoming a great Pokemon Breeder. He had the land all picked out, he had the first interest from potential customers, but he didn't have the money; and that, crucially, was where his dream was failing. Though breeders were very much sought-after in this age of foreign travel, the banks were very reluctant to divest any money towards a potential career in that field. They considered it a high-risk profession; one where they could very likely not see any of their money returned. So, time after time, he was rejected.

Now he feared that he would never see his dream come to fruition.


	15. VS Agatha!

**And here we go; after a full year of few updates, we finally reach the first match. I hope you enjoy; it's gonna be a close one.**

* * *

Ash winced as he moved forwards; his ribs were still not fully healed, and the discomfort was great, but he wouldn't miss this day because of it. If there was any doubt left in his mind, the roar of the crowd as he stepped with Pikachu into the Stadium evaporated it in an instant.

It seemed as if all of Kanto had managed to crowd itself into the Indigo Plateau. Everywhere he looked, he saw faces, faces, and more faces; even the video screens showed the hordes of battle fans crammed outside the Stadium before they cut to a shot of his walking towards the nearest trainer box, arm raised in the air. And he knew that the Plateau's six other Stadiums were also crammed full with people eager to watch the match on the video screens in there.

He saw faces from the past, people who he had long since forgotten and had difficulty attaching a name to; Samurai, AJ, Anthony, Rebecca, Giselle, Lara and Dario, Mikey, Melvin, Keith, Mandy, Melissa, Eve, and Assunta. It was hard to believe that they had all come; and he recognized suddenly the vast number of friendships he had made over the years. It was almost staggering.

But, he supposed, it could hardly be said that every person here was rooting for him. Stepping into the box, he looked across the dirt battlefield and met the eyes of the elderly Agatha as she too stepped forth. She had been, he knew, a rival of Professor Oak himself; but whilst he retired to construct the PokeDex, she continued training and growing stronger, until eventually she had been accepted as one of Kanto's Elite Four.

He knew that this match would be far from easy; the toughest one of his life. Tougher even than his battle against Paul. But, as the boxes began to rise up into the air, he knew that no matter the outcome, it would be the best test his skills could possibly have.

He was going to have the time of his life.

As the boxes came to a halt he thrust his hand into the air; the audience's reaction was instantaneous. The roar was so loud, he almost fell out. But his confidence soared. They were all here to see a match. They believed in his ability to win. And he would not disappoint them.

The crowd quieted as the referee stepped forth, holding a red and a green flag at his sides. He looked around, milking the moment, knowing that this was the highlight of his career. And then, finally, he began.

"This is a one-on-one match between Agatha of the Elite Four and Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!" The audience jumped into action again almost immediately, the yells and screams of delight reverberating around the Stadium. The referee waited until it diminished somewhat, then continued. "There are no substitutions and no time-limit. If a trainer recalls their Pokémon, they forfeit the match. Begin!" he yelled, sweeping both flags into the air. The audience responded and, with a smile of intensity, Agatha sent out her Gengar.

"There's only one Pokémon I could possibly pick for this match," Ash murmured to himself. "I let you down, but I'll make it up to you now! Pidgeot! _I choose you_!" Half the crowd sighed in envy as Pidgeot materialized, the beautiful crest feathers glinting in the sun. But the battle-obsessed otaku in attendance looked on at his choice in confusion. Why Pidgeot when he had the advantage in Gallade, or even his signature Pikachu?

Ash wasn't bothered by the whispers. They may not have realized the significance of his choice now, but they would certainly do so shortly.

"Pidgeot; it's all down to you," he whispered.

Kaede leaned against the tunnel wall in relaxation, her fingers laced behind her head. Invisible to the crowds, she had what was probably the best vantage point in the Stadium. A smile curled across her face as she watched the Pidgeot and Gengar face off in mid-air. It would be a good match, she knew, and she only hoped that the fans wouldn't go leave disappointed. She certainly wouldn't.

She already knew who was going to win.

* * *

In the Saffron City Pokémon Centre, Brock watched the video screen in eager anticipation. He could hardly believe that already three months had passed since Ash's victory in the Sinnoh League, since he had last stood by his friend's side. The realization made it seem like an eternity. Three months since he had last seen and spoken with Ash. Truth be told he had even forgotten about this battle, only finding out about it from a lucky glance at a poster. A slight sensation of guilt began to niggle at him as he realized that he had been too focused on his own dream to pay much attention to Ash's.

To any of his friends for that matter. He had paid a quick visit to Misty on his way to Saffron City, but it had been a brief visit. He had no idea where in the world May or Max were, and he had barely spared a thought about Dawn's Contests since their parting.

A smack on the head quickly brought him back to reality. He raised his hand reflexively with a groan as he turned, half-expecting to see Croagunk standing there under the assumption he'd been daydreaming about romance. He was wrong.

"Hi," Dawn giggled, hiding a smile as she looked at the flabbergasted expression on her friend's face.

"Wha... wha..." was all Brock managed to utter.

"I got all depressed stuck at home since I wasn't travelling around with you guys anymore," Dawn explained. "So my Mom bought me a boat ticket to Kanto and told me to get back out there and find my feet again. So I'm going to travel and compete in the Kanto Grand Festival. The Saffron City Contest is in a few days; that'll be my first one." She paused then, and a look of puzzlement crossed her face.

"Hey, why aren't you at the Gym? I thought for sure you'd be back there now."

"Well, I was for a little while," Brock conceded. "But... I've spent the last eight years travelling around the world with Ash, and sitting at home just doesn't sit right with me. So I decided to follow my dream; I travelled through parts of Kanto and found the perfect land to build a Breeding Centre or a Ranch on. I've spent all the time since then trying to get funding to set it up, but none of the banks have gone for it. I was here for an appointment yesterday, and decided to stay and watch Ash's match before heading off." He looked at Dawn, who had gone mysteriously slack-jawed, and frowned. Raising a trembling arm she pointed behind him, and he turned to see what had captivated her attention.

He gasped.

At the sight of the beautiful crest feathers layered across the sleek, muscular frame, he felt sure he must be hallucinating. But the similar gasps of awe spreading across the crowd left him in no doubt.

"I didn't even know he had a Pidgeot," Dawn whispered.

"He caught it as a Pidgeotto in the Viridian Forest, the second after a Caterpie," Brock replied in an oddly hushed tone. "He let it go seven years ago to protect a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto from a murder of Spearow and their Fearow leader. Of all the Pokémon I expected to see today, Pidgeot was the last."

"It's so beautiful," Dawn murmured.

"If he's using it against Agatha, it'll be incredibly powerful as well," Brock said. "It was strong seven years ago; I can't imagine what it's like now."

* * *

"Alright Pidgeot, let's win this one!" Ash shouted. "Start things off with Featherdance!"

"Pijo!" Pidgeot shrieked, leaning back and beating its wings in fury; a flurry of down exploded outwards and, carried by the intense drafts of Pidgeot's wing beats, soared towards the Gengar. Agatha merely smiled and closed her eyes as the Gengar faded out of the visible spectrum, causing the Featherdance to miss. It reappeared several feet above Pidgeot with a glowing violet ball held between its hands.

"Pidgeot, look out!" Ash shouted as the flying-type swivelled in surprise. Too late. The Shadow Ball landed a direct hit, and Pidgeot was driven tail-first into the ground. "Pidgeot!"

The crowd gasped, in awe at the Gengar's speed and power. A few, under the impression that the match was over already, left their seats and began to trudge towards the exits. Ash glanced over at Agatha, noting the relaxed expression on her face. He clenched his hand. The last time he had battled her, her Gengar and Pikachu were matched on speed. Pidgeot was even faster than Pikachu now, and he'd thought that speed would give him the advantage. But obviously she'd spent a lot of time preparing for that possibility.

His attention was caught by the sight of the dust being blasted away in a long spiral. Pidgeot soared back into the air, unharmed save for some slight bruising from the impact. _Why would she use a Shadow Ball_, he wondered. _Pidgeot is part-normal, it wouldn't do any direct damage..._ It clicked. "Of course... She was testing our speed, and our ability to react. It's going to make it a bit more difficult than I realized; her Gengar is so fast we may not be able to hit it, unless we trick her or..." An idea, partially formed, came to his mind. He eyed the Gengar carefully, noting its movements. It was possible, just possible...

"Pidgeot! Let's match speed for speed; Quick Attack, go!"

"Pijo-pijo!" Pidgeot called, powering itself forward with one quick thrust of its wings. The acceleration was unbelievable, and almost impossible to see. Agatha opened her mouth to issue a counter-command, but before she could even come up with an attack to use, Pidgeot had shot straight through her Gengar.

"Ghen? Gengar?" The Gengar said, feeling its stomach tentatively and looking puzzled. The crowd groaned, their hopes for an upset victory fading; how could Ash have forgotten that normal attacks had no effect on ghost-types?

"You made that mistake last time too, Ash," Agatha said, shaking her head in disappointment. "Don't tell me you'd forgotten! You'll never be champion if you make errors like that." To her surprise, Ash grinned.

"You used a ghost-move on a normal-type, and I used a normal-move on a ghost-type. Now what's say we get this battle started?" Agatha shook her head in amusement.

"Gengar, use Disable!" she called, and Ash looked on in surprise as a blue light crept over Pidgeot's body. Briefly he wondered why she was getting rid of an ineffective move, but he shook it out of his thoughts.

"We're fast enough to take you down without it," he said. "Pidgeot, gain some height and then go in for a Wing Attack!"

"Gengar, use Sucker Punch!" Agatha retaliated. As Pidgeot dove downwards, both wings glowing, Gengar grinned and vanished. For an awful moment neither Ash or Pidgeot knew where it had gone; then, as Pidgeot screamed in pain, it reappeared, this time directly above the flying-type, and unleashed three quick and brutal blows to the back, sending Pidgeot careening downwards once again. The impact was all too audible, and it left Ash with a sickening sensation in his stomach. He was relieved to see Pidgeot struggle to its feet and gaze up at the Gengar with a piercing, hawkish glare, but for the first time he felt worried.

_Now I see why she got rid of the Quick Attack; it was the one advantage we had over her, since we could have combined its speed with some of our other attacks. Now they're quicker, and whenever we get close they disappear. How can we hit something we can't see? Somehow we've got to try and neutralize it... but Pidgeot doesn't know Foresight. We need more speed..._

He gritted his teeth as Pidgeot rose back into the air. He'd faced worse odds and won before, but this one would not be so straightforward.

"Pidgeot!" he shouted, "use Aerial Ace!" Pidgeot nodded in affirmation and then moved in close, trying to surprise the foe.

"Stop it in its tracks; use Shadow Punch!" Agatha called. Pidgeot vanished at the same moment that Gengar swung, both the unfailing accuracy of both attacks meant that Gengar was twisted in exactly the right direction. The attacks collided and neutralized each other, sending both of them back.

_That Shadow Punch is a perfect counter for our Aerial Ace; we'll never get past it with that_, Ash realized, glaring across at Agatha. A bead of sweat slid down his brow; he couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this out of his depth. Nothing he tried seemed to work. _If only we had more speed!_

And then it came to him.

"It's been a nice try, Ash, but I'm ready to end this," Agatha said. "Gengar, move in close and use Thunder Punch!"

Time seemed to slow down. He knew without a doubt that if the Thunder Punch hit it would be the end of Pidgeot's battle, and his Elite Four challenge would be over already. He finally had a strategy, but with the Gengar's speed and the forthcoming attack, he had no chance of getting it into play. Not unless...

"Pidgeot!" he screamed, "Featherdance!" Pidgeot reared back, let loose a near primeval shriek, and thrust its wings forwards mightily. A cloud of feathers burst forwards, and this time the Gengar was too close to dodge. The haze of down obscured its vision and the attack went wild, missing Pidgeot by several feet as it shot backwards from the effort. The Gengar sneezed and looked around in confusion, unable to see out of the cloud. The Featherdance had the added bonus of muffling any sounds; the voices of both Agatha and Ash simply blended in against the audience, leaving the ghost-type feeling cut-off and slightly scared. So it was that it did not hear Ash's command for Pidgeot to climb, for it to summon a Tailwind and then go directly into Agility.

The feathers finally drifted down enough for the Gengar to see, and it shot forwards into the light. It went tumbling head over heels as a Wing Attack smashed into it from behind, and the breath left it seconds later as it took an Aerial Ace to the stomach. Winded, the Pokémon reeled back, looking in vain for its attacker. But as a result of the combined Tailwind and Agility, Pidgeot was nigh invisible to the onlookers.

Agatha looked on, open-mouthed, seemingly unable to retaliate. She knew that her guaranteed victory was quickly slipping away, and she had nothing now that could counter Pidgeot's newfound speed.

"This isn't over," she growled under her breath. "Pidgeot may be fast, but it's injured; it can't keep this up for long. Gengar is still relatively fresh, if it can just hold on a little longer... Gengar, use a flurry of Shadow Balls! Cover every inch of this battlefield!"

"Pidgeot, use Mirror Move!" Ash yelled, and Agatha's eyes widened. As scores of the violet balls began tumbling downwards, just as many shot upwards. The air was rocked with explosions as attack after attack after attack fused and burst; Gengar was sent ricocheting across the Stadium, and even Pidgeot's speed couldn't keep it from getting rocked by the energy waves. Gengar recovered quickly and, seeing its opponent struggling to regain control of its flight, shot one final Shadow Ball down.

Pidgeot was sent tumbling into the now pock-marked battlefield, raising a cloud of dust as it rolled on impact. Agatha grinned as the dust obscured their target, confident that the flying-type was finally down. The smile of delight slowly changed into a grimace of horror as the dust was blown away by the last vestige of the Tailwind, revealing a glowing yellow beneath.

"It can't be..." she whispered. Even Ash was surprised.

"What attack is that?" he wondered, drawing out his PokeDex.

"Roost, a technique that can be used by flying-type Pokémon," it whirred. "When Roost is used, a Pokémon lands on the ground and falls into a brief trance to regain energy."

"Gengar, quick! Get in and use Thunderbolt!" Agatha screeched. The order was too late. The ghost-type sent a sizzling bolt of electricity downwards, but the cloud of dust had obscured Pidgeot for just enough time. The golden glow vanished and, in a spurt of speed, Pidgeot took to the air.

"First the Tailwind, then the Roost; now even Disable's worn off," she said dourly. "We've got one last chance; Gengar, use Shadow Punch and follow it up with Dark Pulse!"

"Finish it off, Pidgeot; Aerial Ace into Quick Attack Brave Bird!" Ash yelled. Once again the two attacks collided, neutralizing one another. Gengar immediately drew back its arms and sent a writhing mass of dark energy towards Pidgeot, who vanished and then slammed head-first into the small of Gengar's back, sending them both downwards in a blaze of blue light. For the third time that day a Pokémon slammed heavily into the ground, and this time it did not rise. As Pidgeot rose back into the air in triumph, Agatha's Gengar lay unmoving in the dirt, its eyes crossed as it slipped into unconsciousness.

"Gengar is unable to battle; the winner is Ash from Pallet Town!" the referee roared, raising a flag into the air. The crowd burst into cheers and Ash, feeling shell-shocked, slumped to his knees. Despite his dominance at the end of the battle, a small part of him had not expected to win going up against a member of the Elite Four. The roar of appreciation in the crowd was overwhelming.

He looked up to see Pidgeot alight in front of him. Their eyes locked, and they stared silently at each other for several moments. Then Ash threw his arms around the flying-type and hugged his old friend in gratitude, sensing the same joy he felt in the Pokémon's heart. He looked up and saw Agatha opposite with Gengar's Pokéball in hand, murmuring a few words of consolation before she put it up. Her eyes met his and a small smile curled across her lips. She nodded her head and turned, walking out of the Stadium.

He turned again and saw Kaede emerging from the tunnel behind him, wearing a grin that rivalled his own. "Well done, Ash," she said as he jumped from the trainer box to meet her. "I knew you'd beat her."

"Well, I wasn't so sure," he admitted sheepishly.

"You two are a great team," she said, looking up at Pidgeot as it joined them on the ground. Ash looked at her, feeling slightly embarrassed, and saw something beyond the usual euphoria of victory in her eyes. He wasn't sure what it was, but it made him feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Thanks," he said, edging onto Pidgeot's back. "Well, good luck!" And with a quick stroke of its wings, the flying-type took to the air, soared over the Stadium walls, and was quickly out of sight. Kaede shook her head, hiding a slight smile as she turned back to the battlefield in time to see it sink belowground and be replaced by an undamaged grass field. The poison master Koga stepped from the tunnel opposite and met her gaze. Together, they stepped into their trainer boxes and waited for the match to begin.

* * *

** I hope that battle was everything you could have wished for; if you enjoyed it (or noticed any errors), why not leave me a review and tell me what you thought?**


	16. Farewell

**Wow. Is this really an update? After four months of stagnation? Yes it is, and once again I must apologize for the delay. This time, however, I actually have a very good reason for it! **

**As you know, I spent November and December working on _Peril_ which, for obvious reasons, I wanted to get done before the anime reached Sunnyshore. With that done I was all prepared to get back to work on this, but something very bad happened. Somehow my computer contracted the trojan horse Virtumundo, commonly known as Vundo, which absolutely destroyed my system. It was such a new varient that Vundofix couldn't even detect it, and neither could the people at the computer repair shop. I only knew it was there with the AVG scheduled scan (though funnily enough, the scan could'nt see it either. Anyways, long story short, my system was destroyed and I lost all of my files. Luckily most of what I had was backed up, but the work on this story was not one of them so I had to start it all over again.**

**In other brief update news, I have a new poll up. I've recently started putting some Wi-Fi battles on YouTube (even though I don't EV train), so I'd like to know if you prefer commentary or music with the videos. Check out what I have under the account Matkin222. But you're bored now, so I'll let you get on with the story. Enjoy!**

* * *

"He won!" Dawn exclaimed, jumping in her excitement. "Brock, he actually won! He beat a member of the Elite Four!"

"I can barely believe it myself," Brock declared, barely able to close his mouth from surprise. The match had been so close and Ash had very nearly lost it. If it hadn't been for Pidgeot's surprising Roost near the end, he would have. A small smile curved across his lips as he gave his head a slight shake. "You did it again Ash, pulling out a victory at the last minute just when it looked impossible. I don't know how you do it."

"I never doubted him," Dawn said loyally, ceasing her jumping fit as she watched Kaede send out her Golduck to face Koga's Venomoth. "Hey Brock, you've travelled through Kanto before, right? How would you like to travel around with me and show me some of the places? You must know it pretty well, and it'll be fun to travel together again."

"Sure," Brock agreed, wincing as Golduck was put to sleep. "It beats wandering from bank to bank on my own, that's for sure. Come on Golduck, you can do it! Don't fall asleep when such a beautiful girl is counting on you! _Gack!_" Dawn gave Brock a dour look as Croagunk dragged his shuddering body across the floor and through the crowd.

"Gee, thanks for comparing travelling with me to visiting a bank," she muttered. A resounding cheer caught her attention and she quickly returned her gaze to the video screen, just in time to see Golduck drift awake, and counter a Tackle with a powerful Aqua Tail that sent Venomoth reeling across the field. She pumped her fist in exultation as Koga withdraw the Pokémon and sent out an Arbok to counter. "One more to go," she said happily.

* * *

"I suppose that it's the usual dastardly scheme, then?" Jessie whispered in a hushed voice.

"Do you think it'll work?" James hissed back.

"It's always worked before," Meowth countered, his eyes flashing.

"Wob a fett!" Wobbuffet agreed.

"Alright then; here we go!" James said, jumping to his feet and grasping the edge of his cloak as the others followed suit.

"Chocolate! Popcorn! Peanuts! Get your refreshments here!" Jessie sang, waving one of each in the air.

"Anybody want a sody pop or hot milk?" Meowth called.

"Ice cold ice cream for sale!" James shouted, weaving his way into the next aisle.

"Woobbufett!" Wobbuffet said, holding a tray of brightly painted bottle caps over his head as Jessie discretely nudged him in the opposite direction of James.

The crowd roared and jumped to their feet, applauding like crazy. Jessie's eyes swam with tears. "So this is what being a hero must feel like!" she said.

"No, dere applauding cause da match is over," Meowth said, nodding towards the field. "Looks like dat Kaede girl won."

"You mean we got here too late?" James asked in disappointment.

"No worries Jimmy, we'll get them at the next match!" Meowth promised.

"Well at least one of us sold something," Jessie said, jerking her finger over to her shoulder in the direction of Wobbuffet and his empty tray.

"Eh, what exactly was he selling?" James asked cautiously.

"These commemorative Elite Four badges are so cool!" a girl laughed, brushing past the trio as she raised an arm to show her friend. "Look at the way the edge is shaped; it looks just like a bottle cap!"

"Tell me you didn't!" James yelped.

"I've got nothing to say," Jessie shrugged. "At least it brought in a little money."

"Those bottle caps were part of a rare collectable edition from twenty years ago. They were worth $100 a pop!" James shouted.

"Really?" Jessie asked. "Meowth, remind me to up the price next time. We've got to get our money's worth."

"Wobbuffet!"

* * *

Ash looked at the Poke Ball in his hand with sadness in his eyes. He had been there for him from the start of his journey, and he helped him through with a lot of tough battles, not least of which was the one from earlier that day. But, though he longed for them to be able to continue working together, he knew that it could not be. The Fearow still terrorized the woods on occasion, and Pidgeot was needed there to protect the other flying-types. With great reluctance he threw the Ball into the air, and it erupted in a flash of blue light. The aura within writhed for a brief moment before solidifying and gaining both the shape and colour of the Pokemon it had held within. The light dissipated and Pidgeot was left standing on the ground, looking at Ash with a cocked head. He too knew that it was time.

"Pidgeot, I can't promise that I'll be able to come and see you again like I did last time while I'm still travelling," Ash began. "I won't make that mistake again. But I will miss you, and if I do have the chance to visit you, I will."

"Pijo..." Pidgeot crooned. Ash gazed into the air in the direction of the setting sun, trying not to let the tears that threatened to overwhelm him take control of his emotions.

"You know, after all this time we still make a pretty good team," he choked out. "Scott promised me that if I complete the Elite Four challenge and become Champion, I'll still be able to become a Frontier Brain. If I do, it means that my travelling days will be over. And if I do decide to become a Brain I promise that I'll get the facility, whatever it end up being, built as close to Pallet Town as I can. That's a promise that I can keep, and I'll make you another." He gazed down at the Pokemon, and now nothing could prevent the wetness from slowly spiralling away from his eyes.

"If I become a Frontier Brain, I'll come back for you. I'll bring this Poke Ball, your Poke Ball, with me, and we'll be a team again; together forever. That I can promise you without any doubt in my mind or heart at all. Now then... I guess you'd better go, Pidgeot. Look after all the Pidgey and Pidgeotto, and give that Fearow an Aerial Ace from me, okay?"

"Pijo pijo!" Pidgeot agreed, snapping its beak. Then, stretching out one of its wings, it leaned forward and gently wiped the tears from Ash's eyes with its feathers. The Pokemon leapt into the air, thrust downward, and powered away, letting loose a heart-wrenching screech that echoed across the land. Ash managed to move his glance enough so that he could see his friend powering away across the red and orange sky. In this light he bore an uncanny resemblance to a distant Ho-oh.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu shouted after him, waving both hands into the air. "Pika pika!"

"Ash," a voice called. "_Ash!_" The trainer turned and saw Kaede hurrying towards him, the smile evident on her face even from this distance.

"Congratulations," he said as she came to a halt in front of him, clutching a stitch in her side, but the lack of enthusiasm was more than obvious. Kaede frowned, hurt by the lacklustre welcome and praise, but then she noticed the tears staining Ash's cheeks.

"What's wrong?" she asked before spotting the still open and clearly empty Poke Ball on the ground. "Hey, where's Pidgeot?" Ash turned without a word, and she followed his gaze until she saw the small speck in the distance, just barely visible against the glow of the sun.

"Pidgeot has other places to be," Ash said, his voice sounding oddly twisted from the pent-up emotion of the moment. "This time I've said goodbye the proper way. We had one last great battle together, and now we've gone our separate ways for the last time."

"You can't know that," Kaede whispered softly.

"No," Ash agreed, "but I can feel it." He turned back to his friend and this time he couldn't hold back the tears. She gathered him close and held him in her arms, allowing him to release the emotions for his departed friend in her embrace as the shadows of the night embraced them in turn.

* * *

His skin itched beneath the golden mask, but he made no attempt to remove it and ease the discomfort. The miraculous device was working perfectly; it had been much simpler than he had expected to reprogram it so that instead of attracting Pokemon of an electrical disposition it would summon those whose DNA was partially composed of HOH.

Dozens had approached them, but now they all lay stretched out upon the ground, unable to summon up even the small amount of energy which would allow them to escape his presence. Floatzel, Wartortle, Prinplup, Kingler, Blastoise; even a small school of Sharpedo had managed to find their way upriver. As formidable as they might have been, even when attacking as a group, one small jolt had been more than enough to knock them all out. And now he had only to wait for their protector to come; and judging by the amount of mist which surrounded them, it would not be long at all until she arrived.

He tapped his fingers against the cluster of Dark Balls at his belt, content to wait. Even if both were wild she would have trouble facing down a Raikou. The Dark Ball captured without fail, it made the creature inside totally subservient; but its real power was in increasing the strength of the Pokemon captured. With a Dark Raikou on his side she had no chance for escape, and once she was in his possession nothing would be able to prevent the final step in his plan from occurring.

He grinned slowly, gently tracing the contours of his torn and misshapen mouth along the mask. He knew that his plan had already succeeded. Nothing would stop him from enacting his revenge! And after that... He allowed his grin to widen. His power would be incomparable, and not even the combined strength of the Champions would be enough to end his glory.

The cracking of a twig in the depths of the thickest part of the mist brought his attention back to reality. He stood, twirling a Dark Ball in his hand idly as he watched for the embodiment of the North Wind to appear in the gloom. Another crack confirmed his suspicions, and the soulless Raikou moved forward as he had previously been instructed to do so.

"At last," the masked man hissed. "At long last the wait is over; Suicune approaches!"


	17. The Taurean's Tale

The Minotaur's ears flared at the sound of a cracking twig, though he made no other movement. Most would have assumed that it was the heat of the small fire he faced as it vaporized some small pocket of sap, but his keen hearing was able to detect that the cause was one of human carelessness, not of nature. He continued to gaze at the flames, making no indication that he had heard the noise. If it was an enemy – of which he had many – attempting to dispatch him he would rather that they not realize he had detected their presence. Though his hearing was keen his eyesight was poor, even in the brilliance of daytime, and to jerk his head upright would be to signal his own doom. For his own preservation, taught through the decades of solitude in the wild, he would make no move until he could be sure of the others position, and of their identity.

The grass rustled before him and a small figure, less than half his height, stood in front of him at the opposite end of the fire. She crouched down and reached out her arms, enjoying a brief moment of warmth before gazing up at him curiously. At this close distance even the Minotaur could recognize her; Erica, one of the newest recruits under General Mink and, so he had heard, a turned agent of the demon Koronfor.

He inclined his head a few inches so that he might see her more clearly. Her gaze was sharp and unflinching as they examined each other's eyes; hers a brilliant shade of green that seemed to reflect the red glow of the fire, his own a murky fathomless black that absorbed the light. Despite her past the Minotaur sensed that here, in this moment at least, she posed no threat to him, and so he returned his glance to the fire with a grunt. She did not look away from him however and, after several moments of silence, he looked back at her exasperatedly.

"Why do you sit here by yourself?" Erica asked, forestalling his question. The Minotaur was so taken aback by the randomness of her query that the only reply he could formulate was a hesitant "what?"

"The others, the rest of the camp; they've set up over there on the forest edge," Erica, said, indicating their direction with a sweep of her arm. The Minotaur's gaze followed her, and even his weak eyes could make out the glimmering bonfire in the distance. "Why are you so far away from them? Aren't you part of them?"

"I am Minotaur; they are human," he grunted by way of response, looking away from the camp and back at his own meager fire.

"So?" Erica prompted, and he could not formulate an answer. "You're still on their side, aren't you? Wouldn't it be safer for you to be nearer to them?" The Minotaur laughed, a guttural low that rang across the field.

"Safe?" he repeated. "Safe would be far from here; safe would be away from humans. They see me, they want to kill me. To them I am worse than Koronfor. To them, I am danger. Any nearer to the camp and I would die during the night."

"Why?" Erica asked, and again his words failed him. She waited as he gazed blankly at the flames, and he soon realized that she would not be dissuaded from an answer.

"Show me arm," he said at last and, though she looked surprised at the request, she got to her feet, pushed back her sleeve, and held her arm across the flames. The Minotaur studied her pale flesh curiously, eyeing the dark mark which still stood out on her skin. It was slowly fading as a result of the injection, but it would take several more days before it vanished completely; and even then she would bare a scar in its shape for the rest of her life. "You feel safe with them?" he grunted, looking away in indication that she could sit back down.

"I do," she answered without hesitation as she slowly lowered herself back to the grass; "I have to." The Minotaur laughed shortly.

"You are safe only because of the company you keep," he said. "You are protected by Mink and Orion; the others, they do not trust you. They share the feelings of Ricardo and would rather slit your throat than share their shelter and food. We are both outcasts among your race; only you do not realize it."

"Why do they hate you?" Erica asked quietly, and he paused a moment to gather his thoughts.

"They have old tales about Minotaur," he grunted. "Always are they bad; to them, Minotaur are death. They believe we revel in war; that we scour the land, looking for enemies to slay so that we may eat their flesh and rape their women. I do not know if this is true; no Minotaur roamed these lands for centuries before me, but the tales endured. To them I am a monster, half-human half-animal, a curse upon their lands. The last twenty years I have spent hiding from their advances, living in solitude the only place where they do not care to venture, the heights of the mountains." He looked her in the eyes.

"I was not a monster," he said quietly, "but they have turned me into one. Twenty years of being hunted and flushed to the least habitable part of Legislan have done that. Their mistrust and their fables have made me the animal they believe me to be. You are human, and so your death would be seen as murder. Mine would be seen as sport, and I would be no more missed than the Shanljo they grilled for dinner."

"It doesn't have to be that way," Erica said softly, and the Minotaur looked at her in surprise.

"It does," he said with finality. "Fear leads to strange conceptions. I never sought to hurt any human; when I washed up upon these shores I was near-dead with exhaustion. Villagers found me and instead of treating my wounds they added to them with spears. All I needed to survive was a flowing stream and a field of grass; but that has been denied to me all these years. I am an eater of grass, not of flesh. But they forced me to a place where the only sustenance I had was the occasional carrion." He looked at Erica, his eyes betraying none of the hurt and sadness he felt.

"They believe me to a monster, and so that is what I am to them," he said. "They never gave me a chance to be anything else."

* * *

It was nearing dawn when Erica slipped silently back into the camp; to her relief, Marc, Erich, and Nigel were still sleeping soundly, unaware of her absence. She stepped among them carefully and was about to slip underneath the rough woven mat which served as her blanket when a low, deep voice forced her to halt.

"So, did you enjoy your midnight stroll?" She turned with dread and saw Orion standing behind her, his arms folded as he leaned against a tree, his scarred face obscured by shadow.

"I was, uh, I was wondering what that lone fire was and so I went to see, and it was…" she trailed off as Orion raised his hand and stepped forward so that he stood next to her, gazing out over the plains.

"Yes, a sad story is his," he sighed, and she was relieved to see that he did not look angry.

"Why do so many people hate him?" Erica asked. "He tried to explain it to me, but I just didn't understand."

"I believe the stories began in your world with the tale of Theseus," Orion said. "Do you recall it?"

"The bare essentials of it," she said. "Theseus went into the labyrinth to rescue a woman and had to fight a Minotaur, which he killed."

"The bare essentials indeed," Orion agreed. "I once knew Theseus; he was a brave man, and my friend. Unfortunately his story has been blown out of proportion these last millennia, and the embellishments have been costly to many."

"What embellishments?" Erica asked curiously. Orion gazed down at her and sighed, shaking his head sadly.

"You would do well not to ask too many questions about the way this world works, Erica," he said. "The people of the Rebel Few do not trust you, and if you are seen associating with others whom they mistrust and asking questions about their history, it could end badly for you." Erica gazed into the distance, her expression hard.

"I don't have a choice, Orion," she said eventually, and he detected the slight tremor in her voice which spoke of unshed sadness. "Marc, Nigel, Erich… what they want is to defeat Koronfor so they can leave this place and return to Earth; so they can continue on with their lives, as if all of this never happened. But I don't have that choice. I died on Earth, and so even if I wanted to, I couldn't go back. Purevil is my home now, and if I want to survive here I need to know about the land, the people, and their history." She looked at him, and shining through her eyes he could see a wild look of desperation.

"You have to help me Orion; none of the others will speak to me, so you're the only one who can." She paused, taking a deep breath before uttering a final word: "Please." Orion looked back at her a moment and then slowly nodded his head in agreement with her request.

"The Minotaur of the legend was a brute, it is true," he said, returning his gaze to the distant glimmer in the field. "Minos' greed and my father's vengeance led to Pasiphaë giving birth to a being that was half-bull and half-man. Minotaur existed as a separate race in that time, and though this particular specimen resembled them he was not of their blood.

"The superficial resemblance led to his name, but the comparison was unfair. For one, he was larger than was typical of the Minotaur race, and though some could reach great heights – much like our friend in the field – the Minotaur of Crete towered some five feet above even the tallest of the true Minotaur. Also, unlike them he was not herbivorous by nature, but carnivorous. Whether that is because of the way he was born or the way he was raised – for Minos, considering him a beast, fed him only raw meat – I do not and never shall know.

"As time progressed and word of his existence spread, it came to be that people believed all Minotaur to be like him. Those who had contact with the true Minotaur knew that was nonsense and attempted to put a halt to the rumours; but only the word of the Gods would appease them, and the Gods never spoke on the matter. The propaganda spread to the far edges of Greece, and the peaceful Minotaur were butchered one by one until the only one left alive was the monster in the Labyrinth.

"Of course, the Minotaur killed on Earth were revived here on Purevil, their lives begun anew. But somehow, in a manner that I cannot explain, the malicious tales about them were carried through as well, stored in the memories of the people as they were reborn. And so the stories endured, and the people began to hunt Minotaur again. For their own preservation the Minotaur left these lands and sailed far across the sea, and they were not seen again until twenty years ago when one, delirious and injured, washed up on the shores of Legislan."

Orion lapsed into silence and, giving her a brief nod to indicate that he had finished with her questions for the night, picked his way through the camp to check on the guard posts, leaving Erica to contemplate what he had said. She crept at last under her mat, feeling oddly disquieted; now she understood the reason why the Minotaur was so loathed by the rest of her race, but there was something odd about what she had been told, something that, between the two stories she had heard, just didn't make sense.

It was only as her eyes grew heavy with sleep that she realized what it was; if the Minotaur was so universally loathed and mistreated, why had he agreed to fight on their side?

* * *

**Yeah, April Fools everyone. Originally I had a much different skit planned (and written) for uploading but, when I re-read it, it just seemed really stupid. So I decided to upload this, a segment from an original story that I've been working on for 10 years, instead. In one of my older profiles you may have seen me mention a story called _Purevil_. Well, that's what this is from. Hopefully one day I can stop revising and updating it and actually get the damn thing down on paper!**

**In other news, I'm afraid that I must apologize (again) for not updating recently, and it's unlikely I will get much done in the near future either. The virus in December destroyed a ton of my work, and thanks to University I haven't been able to get any work done on the next chapter at all. I know that you all hate me for it, but there's really nothing I've been able to do. Oh well. I hope that you at least enjoyed this year's little diversion. I wouldn't mind some genuine feedback on it, actually...**


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